Sam & Julz | Papua New Guinea wedding adventure

My visit to Papua New Guinea was like nothing I’ve ever experienced. It was raw, earthy, and filled with love. The most warm, kind hearted, generous people you could ever hope to meet.

Sam & Julz were married in Australia at the end of May ( you can check out their stunning DIY backyard wedding by clicking here ).

While we were chatting in the leadup to their day, they mentioned that because Julz and her family are from Papua New Guinea, they were also planning to head over for a traditional PNG wedding in the East Sepik region.

I was lucky enough to be able to tag along on this epic adventure. First off – check out the slideshow. Then below, you can read the whole story – don’t miss the little video clips too! Note : A bunch of these images belong to Sam, who is a talented photographer in his own right. He captured the leadup preparations for the wedding in the village, while I was still traveling.
 

SLIDESHOW   ( click ‘fullscreen’ )

 

WELCOME TO PNG

 

Chris starts his car with a teaspoon – the ignition unit dangling in a tangle of colourful wires. “Raskol car” – he laughs, in a nod to the infamous street gangs that plague Port Moresby.

Chris is here to collect me from the airport – he’s looking for the white guy with tattoos. He tells me that he thought maybe that was me (pointing towards another ink covered expat) – but luckily, we connect – and it’s go time.

Sam & Julz, along with Sam’s dad and Julz’ sister, are already in the village – where they have been staying the past 2 weeks. I’m traveling up to meet them.
Papua New Guinea doesn’t have any interior roads connecting any of the major cities / provinces – so flying is the only way to access them.

We pull over at a small roadside stall so that Chris can buy some betel nuts. I’ve seen people chewing here in Cairns – but I wasn’t prepared for quite how widespread betelnut is. Everyone chews it – from young kids to grandmas. I decide that I’m keen to give it a try, sometime on my trip.

Because the flight timetable doesn’t align, I can’t fly up to Wewak (the gateway to the Sepik province) until the next morning – so Chris takes me on a tour of Port Moresby, pointing out the sights & explaining a bit about the culture and way of life. As we cruise through the back streets, people seem surprised to see a white face peering out from inside the car.

We stay that night at Chris’ place – and I’m immediately struck by the hospitality that made my whole PNG trip so incredible. All throughout our trip, people would give up their rooms for us to sleep in, cook delicious food & make sure we were served first – to the point that I felt uncomfortable accepting such generosity! It really was humbling, being so well looked after.

The next morning, Chris is up at 4.30am to drop me at Moresby airport, where I fly to Wewak, and meet up with Jacob – another family member who is assigned the task of getting me up to the village.

Near the banks of the mighty Sepik river, Maiwi is about 4 hours drive from Wewak. We need to slow down frequently to avoid catastrophic potholes – even a sturdy landcruiser would be no match for these. Apparently this highway can also be unsafe, with roadblocks sometimes set up to hijack vehicles. Luckily, we have a crew of guys on board escorting us to the village – here’s a few of them.

 

 

That afternoon, after a long, sweaty day of travel – we arrive in the village. We are welcomed with a ceremonial dance by the villagers, and instantly feel part of the family.

 

 

Over the past few days, the village has been buzzing with the wedding preparations. A huge sago palm was cut down (entirely by hand with axes) and then the villagers took turns pounding it into the paste that becomes sago – a staple food source.

 

VIDEO – PREPARING SAGO

 

 

 

A wedding is also occasion for a feast! With no electricity in the village, there isn’t any refrigeration – so meat needs to be killed, prepared, and eaten promptly. The Sepik river is home to many crocodiles – pukpuk – and this was one of the delicacies on offer. A huge croc had been caught earlier – it was skinned and cooked up, along with some pigs which have the hair singed off by fire – then added to the earth oven ( mumu ). Rocks heated by fire are placed into a hole in the ground, which is then covered with banana leaves, and the food (also wrapped in leaves). Coming from New Zealand (where we call this style of cooking hāngi) the concept was really familiar … not sure the Māori people are very experienced with crocs though! 😂

 

 
 

THE WEDDING DAY!

 

It was a deceptively slow morning … we played with the kids in the village, and waited until it was time to cross the swamp over to the big village.

What’s that you say – cross the swamp? Why yes. The two villages are split by a stretch of swamp where the sago palms grow. To get from one village to the other involves a precarious balancing act over submerged coconut trees. Sometimes, the tree trunks sit above the water level. Sometimes, they are up to knee deep underwater. The water is dark and murky, so you can’t see where the footing is – you just need to feel ahead with your feet, and follow the steps of the villagers who know the way. You hold onto saplings cut from trees that function as support poles – and try not to fall! I managed to slip off the log on my very first crossing – as soon as you’re off the log, it’s waist deep instead of shin deep! Many people were so skilled that they didn’t need poles at all – check out this guy casually carrying his bike across!

^^ This is at the end, as you triumphantly finish your crossing!

 

Safely over at the other village, the ceremony was shaping up. One of the main huts in the village had been completely decorated top to bottom with flowers & plants – this would set the scene for the ceremony later on.

Traditionally, the bride and her family are all in one part of the village, and the groom with his family in another. So Sam and Julz had their faces painted separately, and then a ceremony where Julz outfit was brought to her & gifted, piece by piece.

The next stage was a procession – where Julz and her family are brought down to meet Sam. They carry symbolic fires burning inside clay pots – and there is plenty of singing, dancing, and music.

 

One of the most impressive elements of the whole occasion was the music and songs! So much movement and dancing – we really were immersed in it. This video gives a glimpse of the feeling of being swept up in everything.

 

VIDEO – WEDDING CEREMONY

 

 

The ceremony moved into Sam & Julz being formally declared as married, and ceremonial gift giving – including performance art by master weavers and artists. Everything wrapped up with more singing & dancing – and then we headed back over to the other village for another feast!

 

 

THE LONG TREK HOME

 

Before we knew it – dawn was brushing the sky with colour, and it was time for us to leave. The trek home basically was a reverse of the trip there – day one was from the village to Wewak, day two from Wewak to Port Moresby, and then the next day Port Moresby back out to Cairns.

On the last night I had my first try of chewing betelnut – I hadn’t realized that it’s actually a combination of three elements (the betel nut itself, calcium lime, and mustard pods) which form a chemical reaction. After multiple dips into the lime mix & lots of chewing, I had a nice sufficiently red paste going on in my mouth. The kids in the village thought it was hilarious, watching me trying to spit the liquid out without losing my whole mouthful. Obviously my skills leave some room for improvement!

We were again treated to the most amazing hospitality as we stayed with family in Wewak, and again in Port Moresby. It really was the highlight of my time in PNG – just seeing the beauty of the people & their openness.

At every stop, there were long hugs & sad goodbyes. It’s not an easy place to pop back into for a visit, who knows how long it will be until many of these people get to see Sam & Julz again.

 

Arriving back to Australia felt really surreal after this experience. Only a 1.5 hour flight between Cairns and Port Moresby – and yet the two worlds are so different.

I’ve tried to explain my experience to people here in Australia and it’s just so hard to capture in words. Hopefully these images help convey what I struggle to sum up in writing. The most powerful feeling I was left with though, was a sense of family & belonging. I’ve been super lucky to travel to many places around the world – and I don’t think I have ever felt so warmly welcomed and included as I did in Papua New Guinea.

If you’re interested to taste this culture for yourself – The Sepik River Crocodile and Arts Festival is a three-day cultural celebration staged annually in Ambunti, East Sepik province.

To stay updated with our work – you can follow us here on Facebook and here on Instagram.

Sam & Julz – thank you to you & your families for having me along to share in this adventure. It’s something I’ll treasure for the rest of my life!

Isaac.