18/09/2026
6 days. 40 delegates. 400+ applicants. 1 Australian. And one very sick trip up an active volcano. 🇵🇬
I’ve just returned from Papua New Guinea after attending the PAYA PNG Regional Youth Summit in Kokopo, East New Britain.
The whole thing started with a late-night LinkedIn scroll in July.
I came across the summit, thought it looked interesting, and decided to apply.
By late August, I’d been selected as a delegate.
A few weeks later, I was flying to Port Moresby, with PAYA organising the rest of the tour.
When I arrived, I found out I was one of just 40 delegates selected from more than 400 applicants — and the only Australian, and only non-Papua New Guinean, attending.
What followed was six days I’ll never forget.
The night before the summit started, I flew from Port Moresby to Rabaul and met one of the drivers, Noel.
That evening, we drove for more than an hour to a local village to collect the tribal dancers for the following morning’s opening ceremony.
15 people in the back of a Toyota Hilux.
It was one of those moments where you stop and think: how did I end up here?
Being welcomed into the village and getting to see a side of PNG that most visitors never experience is something I’ll treasure forever.
The summit itself began with a tribal whip dance, followed by an opening address from the Governor of East New Britain, a former coach of the PNG Kumuls and a legend of local club Agmark Gurias.
Other speakers included the Chief of Police and a representative of the Melanesian Spearfishing Group.
The following days involved workshops covering a range of social and economic issues facing PNG — but with a consistent focus on being problem solvers rather than simply identifying problems.
Then came Wednesday.
3:30am. Armed police es**rt. Active volcano. And food poisoning.
Mount Tavurvur is an active volcano overlooking Rabaul and famously devastated the township in 1994.
By 1am that morning, I had been vomiting with food poisoning and had barely slept.
Just before the bus left, I jumped off to vomit again.
Several people suggested I stay behind.
I decided to go anyway.
After a 1.5-hour drive over bumpy, unsealed roads, we reached the area surrounding the volcano.
The smell of sulphur from the hot springs was overwhelming, with the volcanic activity extending into the surrounding ocean.
We began the ascent with a local motivational speaker encouraging everyone along the way.
Halfway up, I vomited again.
But I kept going.
Eventually, I reached the top.
And then I lay there for about an hour.
Looking out across Rabaul, watching Papua New Guinea celebrate its 51st Independence Day with national and provincial flags flying below.
I’m not sure I’ll ever have another experience quite like it.
On the way back down, I was accompanied by a local doctor who was part of the tour.
At the bottom, I was handed a cold bottle of water.
I skulled it.
And promptly vomited it straight back up.
Another 1.5-hour drive followed.
I eventually made it back to the accommodation and slept for 18 hours, briefly waking at 7pm for my first meal of the day:
Chicken nuggets.
PNG tourism slogan writers, please take note.
Thursday brought the conclusion of the summit and some difficult goodbyes.
The connection built between 40 people from different parts of PNG in just four days was unlike anything I’ve experienced before.
Everyone was incredibly welcoming, and the core themes of religion, education and culture being central to life in PNG were consistent throughout the summit.
Then came another PNG adventure.
I arrived at the airport at 2pm for a scheduled 5pm flight.
I was told PNG Air had cancelled the flight and that I should return 48 hours later for the next service to Port Moresby.
No explanation.
Three Slovenian tourists were in the same situation.
So I spent the next two hours lining up to book an Air Niugini flight instead.
That meant another pre-5am wake-up — my fourth of the week, and for someone who hates early mornings, this was becoming a personal challenge.
Back to Rabaul Airport.
1 hour and 20 minutes to check in.
Then a 40-minute delay.
Eventually, I made it back to Port Moresby and then home with Air Niugini.
Exhausted.
But incredibly grateful.
My biggest takeaway?
PNG has enormous potential.
It also faces enormous challenges.
But what stood out to me most wasn’t the challenges.
It was the attitude of the people I met.
There was a genuine willingness among the delegates to identify problems, find solutions and build a better future for their country.
East New Britain in particular has incredible natural beauty and a remarkable cultural identity.
You look at the environment, the people and the history of the province and it’s easy to understand why there is so much potential for tourism and economic development.
There are, of course, security considerations when travelling around PNG. Almost every property we drove past had high fences and barbed wire.
But personally, I never felt unsafe during this trip, or during my previous visit to PNG in March/April to conduct valuation workshops.
I would encourage Australians to experience PNG for themselves — while taking appropriate precautions and being particularly mindful of travelling around at night.
Finally, a massive thank you to PAYA for giving me the opportunity to attend as a delegate.
The work PAYA is doing across the Pacific is incredible, and I’m now proud to be a member of the organisation.
I arrived in PNG as an Australian delegate who had found the program on LinkedIn two months earlier.
I left with 39 new connections, countless memories and an even stronger appreciation for a country I already loved visiting.
As the summit motto went:
It’s not goodbye. It’s see you soon.
🇵🇬
