SW Pacific’s Far East

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i . J he " Ul ? erous air-travellers from the British Solomon Islands and Papua-New Guinea who were, in recent years finding it convenient to visit Hong Kong and Japan on the wav ®u r °Pf b .y flying KLM out of Biak were disappointed when the Dutch airline ceased operating through Biak at the begin nmg of May. 5

SOUTH-WEST Pacific residents who went from Lae to Hollandia and Biak to join KLM’s big jets now can get to the East only by going first to Sydney. Qantas who once provided another easy way to the East by call- ' n « a ilf P °-| t M 9 b ? tween . s y d P e y and Manila withdrew ,ts service last ye rT r European residents of the SW acific are consistent travellers and S S B y -f ar fr mterested m . the East ’ either for itself or as an interesting Eurone er T? t 0 menca Jca Europe. It seems extraordinary that !}*?? not pay a " y international airic l6 to make a call at Port Moresby.

TAA m and A°me°tt ANA *° £*s tn n;plf .n A .r f 18 permitted nn thT ? P f passen B. ers on the Sydney-Port Moresby section of the journey Another mitigating factor now is that both Qantas and BOAC are using jet aircraft that cannot use the Port Moresby airport.

The only air company operating Sydney to the Far East is Cathay Pacific, which is still using Electras.

The Australia-Papua-New Guinea- Philippines-Far East-USA route is a natural return course for people who have come into the South Pacific through Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa, Fiji and New Zealand and no doubt will develop some day even if this doesn’t look to be the year for it.

Return fare from Sydney to Jf/®’ 8 , £A4O3/15/- tourist; and £A5j3/8/- first-class.

Quick Looks At Japan (£Aust. = approx. 750 yen) 171 YEN tourists who normally in £i dulge in hire-and-drive cars frequently decide to give Janan^s kamikaze traffic a miss For thesl and for the increasing number of ship travellers from the South Pacific who find they have several days in Japanese ports, there are now a tremendous number of short pack age tours that can be taken by bus r, ship or train, or combinations of all four What Fujita Tourist Enter prises Ltd. offers is typical although not all Japanese tourist companies own, like this one, airlines and ferry boats on the Inland Sea, as well as hotels and buses.

Tours can be as long as you like s y

but there are dozens of variations in the two to six days range. The following are a few examples’

Two Days, Inland Sea

FROM KYOTO: Tour starts from the International Hotel at Kyoto at 10.30 a.m. with coach transport to Kobe where passengers join the

1,500-ton sight-seeing ferry. The r of the day is spent cruising in t Inland Sea. Overnight at a mode Japanese inn and the followi morning is spent touring the count around the shores of the Inland S rejoining ship at 3 p.m. for Or where passengers are transferred the train for Kyoto (arr. approx, p.m.). Inclusive cost of this to is 13,680 yen.

Another two-day tour for the sar price is from Tokyo to Mt. Fi and the nearby lakes and therm areas of the Hakone National Pal

Five And Six Day Tour

These tours leave from Tokyo ai end at Kyoto and include in the pri (35,280 yen and 42,480 yen respe tively) transfer to the local railw: station or to Osaka international ai port. Price does not include retui to starting point in Tokyo and ther fore the tours are particularly suitah for people who leave their ship Tokyo and pick it up further aloii the route.

In the six day tour you visit M Fuji and stay overnight at Fiji Vie: Hotel; in the five day tour you oni view Fuji from afar but the last foir days of the two tours are similaE

The "Pacific Islands Monthly" is a member of the Australian National Travel Association (ANTA) and the Pacific Area Travel Association (PATA), which are pldged to promote tourist travel in their areas.

\ Caledonia el Rates IE New Caledonian Tourist Office has just issued a new list slew Caledonian hotels of interest tourists. The list includes 11 in imea and 12 in country districts, y two of the country hotels are accessible by road, and hire and e cars are available, he Tourist Office makes it quite r that no New Caledonia hotels : first - class by international idards but many of them offer lern amenities at reasonable rates. v Caledonia, of course, is of par lar interest to Australians and v Zealanders as it is their nearest :ign country. TAI and Qantas rate jets from Sydney (flying time ut two hours); and TAI operates service between Noumea and :kland with DC4s. lost of the Noumea hotels have ms with bath; most serve a Con ntal breakfast; and some hotels e air-conditioned rooms, amea Hotels: ,antana, at Anse Vata; room i bath and breakfast, 600 Pac. Fes. ;le, per day.

Jouvata Bungalows: At Anse Vata; breakfast but bath; from 350-500 . Fes. single. .aperouse, Rue Sebastapol; with i and breakfast, 550 Pac. Fes. ;le; without bath, from 350 Pac. aitetia, Quartier Latin; with bath I breakfast 500 Pac. Fes. single, loliday Apartments; breakfast in ied 500 Pac. Fes. per day for one son. [rianon, Route de I’Anse Vata; h bath and breakfast, 500 Pac. i. single, lorizon, Mont Coffyn; with bath I breakfast, 500 Pac. Fes. single, Route No. 1; 350 Pac. i. single.

Central, Rue Sebastapol; 300 Pac. !. single.

Jebastapol, Rue Sebastapol; 380 :. Fes., inc. breakfast.

Auberge des Monts Koghi, Monts Koghi; 675 Pac. Fes., with all meals inc.

La Crouen Hotel La Crouen; with bath, 400 Pac. Fes. single.

Houailou: Hotel Bozon-Verduraz; 300 Pac.

Fes., single.

Poindimie: Hotel Bon Rivage; with bath, 400 Pac. Fes., single.

Toubo: Hotel de Touho; with bath, 600 Pac. Fes. single.

Hienghene: Chez Maitre Pierre; with bath and all meals, 940 Pac. Fes. single.

La Foa: Hotel Banu; 200 Pac. Fes. single.

Bourail: Hotel Niaouli; with bath, 375 Pac. Fes. single.

Hotel Douyere; 150 Pac. Fes.

Koumac: Hotel Holland, 300 Pac. Fes. single.

Isle of Pines: Relais de Kanumera; with bath and all meals, from 1,200 Pac. Fes. single.

Ouvea Island Comptoirs d’ Ouvea; 800 Pac. Frs. all meals included. (£Aust. 1 = approx 194 Pac. Fes.; £NZI = 244 Pac. Fes., and one $ US = 87 Pac. Fes.).

Hotel at Kieta Makes Visit To Bougainville Easier Bougainville island is part of the “real” New Guinea that tourists hear about but never reach.

The east coast of Bougainville, studded with plantations operated by

“real people”, is one of the most picturesque areas of the whole Ter ritory of Papua-New Guinea and worth a visit by travellers who think they have seen everything. This goes for travellers who live inside New Guinea, for comparatively few P-NG residents ever visit Bougainville.

One of the difficulties which have prevented visits by itinerant travel lers has certainly been the accom modation problem. Until last year you had to know somebody to be able to arrange a roof over your head.

You still do, everywhere else but in Kieta, where in the middle of last year the Hotel Kieta was started. As it happens, Kieta is the best spot for a visitor to be, for it’s in an excel lent central position, with plantations up and down the coast on either side of it. They are all friendly people, happy to see a new face.

The Kieta Club, near the hotel, is a regular meeting place.

But the Kieta Club doesn’t pre tend to be a cabaret and there are no bright lights at Kieta, or big stores, and Kieta at the moment is of interest only to visitors wanting a quiet time in new and interesting surroundings. Permanent population in Kieta itself is about only 30 Euro peans and Chinese.

The Kieta Hotel is owned by the Kieta Trading Co. Hotel manager is Mr. Greg Wall. There are 10 double rooms, with tariff at £3/5/a day per person. There is mosquito proofing, hot and cold water and a septic system.

Best way to get to Kieta is direct from Rabaul by TAA DC3, which operates on a twice weekly service, Wednesdays and Fridays. It puts down at Aropa, about 12 miles down the coast from Kieta. Single fare is £l2/3/-.

Bougainville's only hotel —the Hotel Kieta, on the waterfront at Kieta. At right is the lounge.