Rain shoots into our eyes as our small fibreglass boat fights the rough sea. Thick grey clouds cover the horizon.
Being thrown around from one wave to the next doesn’t feel like the idyllic pacific family holiday we had set out on. But then again, perhaps it’s not surprising that travelling to the mystical Tetepare Island – one of the most remote in the vast chain of Solomon Islands – does not always go according to plan.
The towering local Melanesian boatman, who directs our boat through the maze of waves, radiates confidence: “Don’t worry we will be there soon.”
We finally reach a calmer bay with a small jetty. Dense, green, seemingly endless rainforest covers the shoreline. Between the trees I make out two wooden huts, the only signs of civilisation.
Author: Paul Niel
Publisher: South China Morning Post
Date: June 3 2019