We were able to exchange money at a slightly better rate with a friend of Jim Robbins who has an import business. Kina is the currency in PNG and the polymer notes are clearly made by the same people who make Australian currency. They both feel like they are made of plastic and have clear plastic “windows” in them as a security measure.
The notes depict several items important to Papua New Guineans, such as the stone hatchet in the center of the two kina note. These stone axes were used before westerners arrived with metal blades.
On the right side of the 50 kina note is a collection of ceremonial masks from different regions of the country.
The current exchange rate for 1 kina is about 37 cents.
Re the axes : I found an article noting that at one archaeological site, the “waisted” axes found were thought to be more than 40,000 years old. I’m not sure what the “waisted” refers to yet. And back to the bananas, evidence for early agriculture seems to be based on the mounds and ditches that improved banana cultivation. The ditches were a later modification.
Kathy C.
The waisted refers to two identations on the sides of the axes, giving them a ‘waisted’ appearance.