The Megapode
p. 49 · Read in the full issue
Such A Funny Bird Is
The latest visitor attraction in the Solomons is the burrowing megapode bird! This avian curiosity, although somewhat smaller than the ordinary domestic fowl, lays eggs twice the size of a regular hen’s egg—in burrows two feet deep.
The megapodes, which abound on Savo Island, 25 miles from Honiara, are being promoted by Hunts of the Pacific as one of the Protectorate’s unique attractions. According to Bruce Saunders, operations manager, visitors are happy to pay around SA2S a head to visit the island and watch the unique egg-collecting methods of the villagers.
But visitors are not quite so happy to pay an extra $3OO to visit the Solomons and New Guinea, now that the new 35-day excursion fare is operating in the South Pacific. i r j Saunders told PIM that it looked as though the Protectorates expected tourist increase would not eventuate this year after all. , We had 1,200 visitors last year were ex P ectin § some 1,700 during 1971 , he said.
“But we’ve noticed a definite drop-
off since the announcement of the new 35-day excursion fare, which came into operation on April 1. The South Pacific excursion fare used to be for 45 days. Now, if anyone wants to tack on an extra 10 days to visit New Guinea and the Solomons, it costs an additional $3OO per person.
“Whereas we were getting groups of 15 people, the numbers are now about five or six per group.
“it looks as though this year’s total will be about the same as last year —around 1,200 visitors”.
Mr. Saunders said he was confident, however> that tourism would grow in the area —j us t as soon as sufficient hotels rooms became available.
“Great interest was shown b a o f j apanes e travel agents brought to the Solomons earlier this year by Q an t as ”, he said. “Like American travellers, the Japanese are tremendously interested in the war history o£ the So)omons . « TT r x x i TT • , Unfortunately, Honiara still only has 15 rooms that could really be classified as first-class. The situation will improve with extensions to the Mendana”.