Rabaul, Papua New Guinea: Active Volcanoes, WWII History, and a Unique Pacific Town

Tavurvur volcano, on the eastern rim of the caldera, can be climbed by visitors — a 45-minute ascent on loose volcanic cinders to the crater rim, where the crater itself vents continuously with low-level activity. The climb is steep and requires solid footwear; the cinders are unstable underfoot. From the crater rim, the view takes in the full harbor, the town below, and the Pacific beyond. On clear days the outline of Vulcan on the western side of the caldera is visible. Local guides are available near the volcano base and are worth hiring for the walk — they track activity levels and know the route. The volcano last had a significant eruption in 2006; Tavurvur is monitored continuously by the Papua New Guinea Volcano Observatory.

The Kokopo War Museum, in the provincial capital of Kokopo about 16 kilometers east of Rabaul, covers the Japanese occupation of the region during World War II (1942–1945) with a collection of artifacts, weapons, and documents that is unusually thorough for the Pacific theater. Rabaul was the major Japanese naval and air base in the southwest Pacific during the war, and the surrounding area holds numerous WWII sites including dug-in submarines visible from the shoreline at low tide, aircraft wreckage in the jungle, Japanese bunker systems, and the memorial to the sinking of the Montevideo Maru — a Japanese ship carrying 1,053 Australian prisoners of war that was torpedoed by an American submarine in 1942, the largest loss of Australian life in the war.

The Rabaul market, held daily in the center of the rebuilt town, is the most direct introduction to local produce and culture: bilum (woven string bags in the geometric patterns specific to different parts of Papua New Guinea), betel nut (the mild stimulant chewed throughout Melanesia, producing the red-stained teeth visible on many vendors), tropical fruit including rambutan, papaya, and the local Cavendish bananas grown on the volcanic soil, and cooked food stalls with sago, taro, and smoked fish. The market is lively, crowded in the morning, and operates entirely for local commerce rather than tourism.

Diving around Rabaul offers access to the wrecks of Japanese vessels sunk in the harbor during the war — destroyers, supply ships, and aircraft lie in 10 to 40 meters of water with visibility typically exceeding 20 meters. The wreck of the Hakkai Maru, a Japanese freighter, is one of the most accessible and is encrusted with coral growth; lionfish, sea turtles, and reef sharks use the hulk as habitat. The dive sites are uncrowded compared to more accessible Pacific wrecks. Dive operators run from the Kokopo area.

Transport in Rabaul operates primarily by PMV (public motor vehicle, the local minibus system) for local travel and by hired vehicle for longer excursions to the museum or dive sites. The roads are reasonable for Papua New Guinea; allow extra time for any journey.