Oil Search Pacific Games Relay in Jiwaka Province
Starting at Rondon Ridge for the spectacular vista across the wide and fertile Wahgi Valley with the city of Mt Hagen at its centre.
The Baton then stopped in at the hagen market full of Saturday morning sellers and buyers. The team was divided between sharing the Baton with the sellers and checking out the wonderful produce.
From there the Relay wound its way up Mt Hagen to another lookout and the area of Mirip where villagers were treated to an unexpected stop and got to hold the Baton and hear what it was all about.
Next was a quick game of darts at a roadside market and then a trip up through the hillside filled with the red grass mayflower that only blooms in may before heading to the Tambul-Nebilyer District.
Here the relay was treated to a visit to the famous coffee plantation Kilima, owned by Joe Leahy and his family.
His son, Jim Leahy, explained the history of the plantation that was set up by his father in the late 1960’s, suffered through tribal warfare and the subject of the documentary “Black Harvest”.
Whilst there the team was shown the coffee plantation and had an opportunity to see the Reggiana Bird of Paradise that has made its home nearby, before celebrating the visit with the Urupyke singsing group.
The Relay finished its Western Highlands visit back at Queens park oval in Mt Hagen where crowds had gathered for a last opportunity to see and touch the baton.
Today the Oil Search Pacific Games Relay travelled to the new province of Jiwaka.
The team drove from Hagen through the Kuli Gap and into Jiwaka province to help the people celebrate its third anniversary as a province.
First stop was the Carpenter tea plantation Kudjip, source of the country’s National No.1 tea.
The Baton was run through the tea fields and escorted down the plantation roads by the company workers.
The Baton was delivered to the new provincial headquarters by the team and elders playing the bamboo pan pipes.
The welcome included the raising of the provincial flag, a march by police and a handover to the Deputy District Administrator, accompanied by the magnificent Jiwaka singsing groups and their colourful costumes and bird of paradise head dresses.
From there the Baton was taken around the twin towns of Minj and Banz where people gathered on the streets to see and touch the iconic Baton.
The route included a circuit through the sprawling Wahgi valley and a climb up to the Dona Top.
The Relay passed the home village of athletics star Toea Wisil and her brother Kupun where her mother came out to meet the team along with the rest of her village and wish Team Papua New Guinea go for gold.
The Oil Search Pacific Games relay heads to Oro Province on Tuesday.
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