Kokopo
Village Resort - upmarket,
popular local venue
Seaview
Beach Resort - quiet,
out of town
Vavagil
Guest House - budget,
tourist-oriented
Taklam
Guest House - budget,
tourist-oriented
Rapopo Plantation Resort - out
of town
Stay Kool Guest House - out
of town, budget
Village Haven Guest House
Takubar Guest House
Takubar Beach Resort
Ron's Guest House and Apartments
The Beach Hut Lodge - popular
local venue
Ravalian Lodge
East New Britain is
one of PNG's provincial success stories. The province has a well developed
economy, based on agriculture, commerce and tourism. The province has good
infrastructure compared to other provinces, and a comparatively well educated
population. The decentralisation of national government functions in East
New Britain has been well implemented.
Most of the population
of East New Britain Province is clustered on the Gazelle Peninsula, which
is the northern "head" of the island of New Britain, from Wide Bay
up to Rabaul. In this part of the province, villages run end to end along
the major roads and it is hard to find a spot where there are no houses or
people. In the Gazelle Peninsula area the village people live relatively affluent
and westernised lifestyles; their houses are chiefly made of manufactured
materials and they wear western clothes.
The Gazelle Peninsula
has a good road network, and despite the potholes in some places it is comparatively
easy and safe to travel around by road. The cheapest way to sightsee is to
jump on a local PMV and take a round trip to wherever it's going. You can't
get lost - all PMVs return to Kokopo and Rabaul. Hire cars are also available
and it is safe and pleasurable to drive yourself.
Tourism infrastructure
is well developed in the Gazelle district. There are a number of medium-size
hotels and many smaller guest houses and rustic "resorts" catering
to both local and foreign visitors. There are well established tourist attractions,
especially the still-active volcanoes around Simpson Harbour. Rabaul was a
major Japanese base during World War 2 and there are many historical points
of interest such as barge tunnels, war cemeteries, gun emplacements and bunkers.
The southern half of
the province is known as the Pomio District and is relatively underdeveloped
compared to the Gazelle Peninsula. The people here live in more traditional-style
villages, though the benefits of the Gazelle economic "powerhouse"
do filter through here and the people still live relatively "comfortably"
compared to people in the remote areas of poorer provinces. Visitors who come
to Pomio mainly do so for the excellent trekking available. It is possible
to trek or hike from village to village along the coast, or inland to the
Nakanai Mountains, even overland to Bialla in West New Britain Province (see
the article "A trek from Pomio to Navu" linked below). The Pomio
district doesn't have much in the way of accommodation and services for visitors,
though.
Rabaul town was known
as the Pearl of the Pacific until it was half-buried by a major eruption of
Mt Tavurvur in 1994 (the last previous eruption was in 1937). The town is
now only a shadow of its former self, in terms of population and facilities,
with most government offices and many business houses having moved to Kokopo,
about 45 minutes drive along the coast and supposedly out of harm's way in
case of another eruption. The eastern part of Rabaul, closest to the volcano,
resembles a moonscape as it is still covered in metres of volcanic ash which
is only gradually being excavated. Mt Tavurvur is still active and maybe there
isn't much point in digging out all the ash if it is only going be put back
again next time the volcano coughs. There are occasional light ash showers
which send residents scurrying for their brooms and it can be uncomfortable
for asthmatics at times. At sunrise and sunset there are good photo opportunities
at the old airstrip where red and orange lava spitting from Mt Tavurvur only
400 metres away contrasts with the pale sky behind.
The western half of
Rabaul is still a pretty town, with a stunningly beautiful harbour that can
be appreciated from a number of scenic viewpoints on overlooking ridges and
hills. Rabaul is a laid-back place which still has the old Pacific charm about
it. People stop in the street to chat, and nobody is in a hurry.
Kokopo on the other
hand is more of a sterile industrial town, with many of the buildings being
relatively new. Most of the residents have lived in the town for less than
10 years, which I think explains its apparent lack of character. The town
beach at Kokopo is grubby and you have go a little way out of town to find
a clean swimming beach. To be honest, there isn't much to see or do in Kokopo,
and some of the small guest houses and "resorts" scattered along
the road from Kokopo town to Tokua airport seem to have become noisy drinking
spots for locals. Away from Rabaul and Kokopo, out of town there are some
nice quiet places to stay including the Kulau Lodge Beach Resort and the Kabaira
Hideaway Guest House. Sadly, there are no village-style guest houses in East
New Britain.
The Rabaul airport
has been closed (it was right next to the volcano) and a new airport has been
built at Tokua, which is about an hour's very pleasant scenic drive from Rabaul.
There are public buses (PMVs) which run regularly between Tokua, Kokopo and
Rabaul. Most of the larger hotels and resorts have courtesy buses and will
pick you up if they know you are coming. The road is sealed and from the airport
you pass through coconut plantations and follow the coast through Kokopo town,
around the edge of Simpson Harbour into Rabaul town.
Best buys: fresh
produce
Our favourite spot: Kabaira Bay
