Favorite Thing: Kundiawa is located in the central mountain ranges which run the length of New Guinea from east to west. Mt. Wilhelm, the highest in Papua New Guinea at 4509-m (14,800-ft), is located in the Bismarck Range not far to the northeast of the town. These mountain ranges are broken in various places by broad upland valleys and plains, resulting in a relatively heavy concentration of tribes in the mountains as opposed to the swampy and flat areas near both the north and south coasts . The main access to this part of the country is via the Highlands Highway, shown in red here as it leaves the coastal city of Lae and winds its way up through Goroka and Kundiawa, before proceeding to Mt. Hagen and beyond. The areas beyond Mt. Hagen are now quite 'lawless' with highway robberies being common.
This whole interior Highlands area of PNG was not really 'discovered' by white men until the 1930s when prospectors looking for gold were amazed to find large populations of natives in the fertile valleys. However, not much change took place until 1947, following the Second World War, when Australia began to properly develop these lands which had been placed under it's control.
Fondest Memory: The fresh mountain airs were always a treat during any visit to these high elevation areas of PNG. Down on the south coast in Port Moresby, the temperature was about 34-36 C every day, with high humidity but practically no rain for the 3 years we were there. Night temperatures rarely dropped below 20 C with no change in humidity.
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