Hiri Moale

The AVI girls, lucky enough to score front-row seats for the Hiri Moale festival today - part of the celebration of PNG's 30th Annivesary of Independence. The Hiri Moale festival celebrates a traditional beach-side ceremony, and is held at Ela Beach.

The festival symbolizes the traditional Hiri trade between the Motuans and the people of the Gulf province. The Hiri Motuans would leave in their boats with clay pots, which they traded for sago from the Gulf.

We trekked down there early this morning, eager to be a part of the spectacle - and we were not disappointed. There was a canoe race, lots of traditional dancing and singing, the Police band, many (long-winded) speeches, a (somewhat out-of-place) Carribean drum band from Townsville (?!), the arrival of the lagatoi's and then the long-awaited Hiri Queen contest, with 20 beautiful young girls making their way down to the centre stage.