By MALUM NALU
Beautiful New Ireland has many attractions for visitors.
I especially love the scenic and unspoiled beachfront, market and the long and winding Boluminski Highway.
It is one of the best roads in all of Papua New Guinea.
But how did the Boluminski Highway get its name?
The highway is named after German administrator, Franz Boluminski, who landed at Kavieng on June 30, 1900, with his wife Frida.
He supervised the task of building a road, and in less than four years, 100km was built using karanas (dead coral) that is in plentiful supply.
Boluminski gained widespread respect for establishing peace on New Ireland; however, it is for the highway that his name lives on.
His tough but fair dealings with natives and whites alike in New Ireland were frequently referred to by visiting Germans as “the South Sea Pearl of German colonial possessions”.
Boluminski had built a fine residence on a ridge with a grand staircase descending to the harbour with extensive gardens.
A post office was established in 1904 and overseas vessels were visiting Kavieng by 1912.
He died on April 28, 1913, and is buried at Bagail cemetery in Kavieng.
At the time of Boluminski’s death, a fine road capable of being used by the new motor vehicles just arriving stretched 165km from Kavieng carrying produce to port and facilitating the administration by strategically-located government rest houses.
It was the longest and best road in the Pacific until the 1950’s.
The Boluminski today is a vital 365km road in New Ireland linking Kavieng in the north to Namatanai in the south.
You can see the diversity of New Ireland along the way from the sea to the highlands of the Lelet Plateau, where coffee and high-altitude fruit and vegetables grow.
Tourists, including Australian students, regularly cycle the Boluminski and stay in the villages along the way with the friendly and hospitable people.
There are many attractions along the way, including the famous freshwater eels of Laraibina village, which visitors feed by hand.
Good report