uncovered several new species of frogs along the way, including one near the peak itself which he named timidus, Latin for timid, falling into the genus Cophixalus. He, too, took a picture of this cairn with some of the local lads who used the opportunity of the survey to experience this place. So, when you fly over the oft cloud-shrouded mountains of PNG, spare a thought for those beaconing efforts of the past the wildlife that clings on to a tenuous existence in a warming world on the peaks where moss and lichen cover the rocks of the cairns that are a reminder of this time. Check out PNG Post Offices and its Philatelic Bureau where many of our highly sought-after PNG stamp packs and annual albums can be bought over the counter. that put our country firmly on the world map. And for “The white rhododendron found and named after Anglican priest and also a botanist, Norman Cruttwell – the first ‘dimdim’ (white person) to climb Mt Simpson (Matawan) in 1954 – also featured in a PNG stamp series from 1998”
One of the frog species – Cophixalus timidus – discovered by herpetologist Fred Kraus during an expedition to the peak of Mt Simpson in 2004
PNG Air flies from Port Moresby to Mt Hagen daily For bookings: Call + 675 7411 2644
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