travel

The Unspoiled Gilberts

A Regular Piaa Department

Reporting News Of South

Seas Tourism And Travel

From The Inside

Quiet and almost forgotten, this inlet to Abemama Lagoon, Gilbert Islands, reflects the tranquility traditionally associated with the Pacific Islands. Robert Louis Stevenson lived less than a mile from here for two months in 1890—just a stone's throw from the palace of King Binoka, ruler of the Central Gilberts from the early 1860's until 1891. A bemama will shortly become a tourist spot. An airstrip has been completed on the atoll, and the GEIC Government is at present considering applications by inter-island carriers to land there.

Above: Surrounded by towering coconut palms, High Chief Paul Tokatake of Abemama, a descendant of King Binoka's family, sits on the foundation stone of Robert Louis Stevenson's house. Perhaps when the tourist planes start to land on Abemama this stone will become one of the top attractions: certainly High Chief Paul intends to mark this and other historic monuments and landmarks. Below Gilbertese girls, ever smiling, a pretty mixture of Micronesian, Polynesian and Chinese.

Top left: If you want to travel round the Gilberts you go by ship. Here Tom Murdoch, skipper of the "Temauri", brings his ship into Abemama Lagoon. Left: Passengers on the "Temauri" take five—half in and half out of the sun.

Top: "Temauri's" sister ship, the "Tautunu". Above: Passen gers from the "Temauri" land in the ship's launch at Buariki village, South Tabiteuea.

Contrasts on North Tabiteuea. Top: The atoll is about to enter the air age. A leveller works on the atoll's airstrip (expected to be ready for small aircraft by March) as a barechested Major Bruce Bown, engineer in charge of the strip, stands by. When the strip is finished it will be covered with the white lagoon-mud seen in the right of this picture. Below left; A small boy carries a yoke of fruit. Below right: A little cutie poses in front of a pre-World War I copra house.