23/07/2026
PNG Is Not for Beginners
In 2018, our software team was commissioned to develop a financial reporting system for one of the largest financial institutions in Papua New Guinea.
The work involved integrating with their core systems and building a financial package that their team could use for day-to-day reporting. It was an important project, but before we could even begin talking about software, Port Moresby gave us a completely different kind of introduction.
When we landed, the person waiting to collect us was actually the CEO of the organisation we were working with. We had met him several times before. Despite being the CEO of one of the biggest organisations in Papua New Guinea, and one of the major companies in the South Pacific, he was an extremely humble and down-to-earth person.
That was why what happened next caught us completely off guard.
As soon as we got into the brand-new blue Navara, the vehicle sped off. He was changing lanes, ducking in and out of traffic and weaving between vehicles. It felt less like an airport pickup and more like we had suddenly found ourselves in a car chase scene from a Tom Cruise movie.
The whole trip, not a word was said.
Eventually, we arrived at the hotel.
The first thing we noticed was the security fencing. The walls were topped with coils of barbed wire, the kind of setup you would normally associate with a prison or some heavily guarded compound.
Then the front gate opened. The vehicle drove in and stopped. The first gate closed completely before a second gate opened in front of us.
It was similar to the security system at commercial banks. One gate closes behind the vehicle before the next one opens.
Except this was not a bank or a high-security cash facility.
It was our hotel.
Still, not a word was said.
We collected our bags and made our way inside. Despite the intense security outside, the apartment itself was extremely luxurious. It had a huge living space and every type of amenity one would need.
Only after the doors had closed did our contact finally speak.
He explained that visitors in PNG could become targets for carjackers and that you could never be too cautious when going about your day. Some carried homemade guns and moved quickly.
We were then given a full security briefing, including the dos and don’ts, the lay of the land and what to expect over the next few weeks.
It was very different from our other experiences around the Pacific. We had travelled to Tonga, Samoa, Kiribati, Niue, Nauru, Vanuatu and the Solomon Islands. Most of those places had been extremely relaxed.
In Kiribati, we once found ourselves beside the seawall late at night with a group of locals who were drinking toddy and fishing. We joined them for some talanoa, heard a few good stories and carried on with the night.
PNG was the only country where our welcome included a security briefing before we had even unpacked our bags.
Since that first visit, we have returned to Papua New Guinea several times. We have made friends, become more familiar with Port Moresby and gradually become more comfortable moving around.
Once you know the place, know the people and understand its culture, it is not as crazy as people sometimes make it out to be.
And to be fair, trouble can find you in any country when you are in the wrong place at the wrong time.
But if you are heading there for the first time, PNG is not for beginners.
