Rabaul

9^th April 10, 2012 

The alarm was set for 6am this morning to make sure we were awake to see the approach to Rabaul, which is very scenic with volcanoes on either side of the entrance to Simpson Harbour, one of which still has steam venting out of it.

The water was glassy as we came into the harbor, with virtually no breeze and it was starting to get warm, but was still pleasant. The pilot joined us at 7.15am and we berthed a little after 8am. Sea Princess overhung the wharf at both ends and mooring lines has to extend into the shore, which proved a bit of a challenge resulting a couple of locals having to get in the water to retrieve the stern line, which didn’t quite make the distance when thrown.

Glassy conditions as we entered the harbour

Sea Princess alongside

Clearance was quick, and people were going ashore pretty much immediately. We were booked on a morning tour, so got to watch the US Masters for a while before having to gather to join our tour before it had finished !! It took about 45 minutes before it was our turn to go ashore to meet up with the tour operator.

It is clear that not a lot of tourists come to Rabaul, and the arrival of something the size of Sea Princess with a few thousand people on board stretched the resources a bit. The tour was in mini buses which held about 12 people, well packed in, without air conditioning. It must have been quite an exercise to round up all 0f the mini buses, and guides, who were not professional guides, but did a fair job. Our guide , Lillian was a student, aged 23, she was in year 11, having had a break for a year to study tourism ? She was able to work today because it is a public holiday, Easter Monday. There weren’t to many others working in Rabaul however.

Our Convoy of Tour Buses 

Our Tour Guide , Lillian

I'm Glad we took the expensive option

Rabaul was virtually wiped out in 1994, by the eruption of  Mt Tuvurvur which covered much of the city under 2m of ash, burying the airport, the golf course and many buildings in its’ vicinity. Whilst the city has recovered somewhat, and remains the port for New Britain, the capital was moved to Kokopo, further around the coast and out of the way of further volcanic eruptions. Rabaul now has 3 “hotels” operating, a market and a few stores including a supermarket and bakery etc.

Our first stop on our tour was the Rabaul Hotel, apparently a local icon, which still provides accommodation, a restaurant and bar. It was located just down the road from the Rabaul Yacht Club, which is on the harbourside adjacent to the Travelodge Hotel. 

Rabaul Hotel

The Yacht Club

The visit took about 10 minutes to see the highlights, and it was then on to the hot springs, at the base of Mt Vuvuvur. To get there, we had to drive across the ash field deposited during the 1994 eruption. There is no road, just a field of ash (that used to be part of the city), and a few sticks have been hammered into the ground to mark out a “road” system to cross this extensive area to get to the springs. Fortunately, it provided a much better driving surface, than the paved roads, which are riddled with potholes.

The "road" across the ash fields

The view of the volcano and the springs were worth the trip. Enterprising locals had set up very basic stalls there to sell local handicrafts, and a thatched building had been erected , which we were told was a toilet.

The on site toilet

Buildings covered by ash

From here we headed off across the ash field, crossing what used to be the golf course and old airport on Matupit Island, where were saw ruins os some Japanese aircraft which had been based there during WW2. The ruins are now sitting in holes in the ash, as they had been covered in the volcanic eruption.

Japanese Aircraft remains

It was then on to a Catholic Community Centre on Matupit Island ( which is also our guides home town), where we were greeted by a group of children who put on a concert for us, and the usual handicraft stalls were everywhere. I think it was worth their while, as whilst they didn’t sell a lot of handicrafts, just about everyone left a donation for the community in a cardboard box provided near the stage where the kids were singing. On the way to our next stop, The Rabaul Vulcanological Observatory, our guide gave  us some insights into life on Matupit island. They have no running water, and fresh water comes by truck or bus from Kokopo. Their staple diet is based on bananas, coconut, a green vegetable that I didn’t quite get the name of, fish and eggs the collect near the volcano, laid by wild fowl. There was no livestock in the village. Other things are available from the market in Rabaul, but it is a pretty basic life. Any electricity comes from the odd generator, and houses are built from “bush” materials or other basic building materials from Rabaul.

The observatory is based on a hill high up above the port, affording fantastic views of the harbor and volcanoes. It acts as there early warning system for future eruptions and they relocate residents perceived to be in danger to other safe areas if some activity is expected.  There were more kids singing and more handicrafts, but the people are not pushy, in fact quite shy, and very friendly. The views were spectacular, and looked right down on Sea Princess at her berth, so cameras were snapping feverishly.

Sea Princess from the Observatory

Welcoming Party

As this was our last visit, we headed back down the hill, past tunnels dug into the hillside by Germans during their occupation, eventually arriving back at the wharf at 12.30pm. By now it was very hot and humid, and most people headed straight for the air conditioned comfort of the ship. Having got back on board and cooled down, there was little attraction in heading back ashore after lunch (there was nowhere onshore you could have lunch in the vicinity of the port), so we relaxed on board for the rest of the afternoon. There was plenty going on in the harbour of interest, including the odd visit by curious locals in outrigger canoes to see the Sea Princess close up.

Not surprisingly, everyone was on board ahead of the official deadline, and for the first time on our cruise, we cast off 15 minutes ahead of time at 5.45pm.

Ships at Anchor behind Beehive Islands

We were on the aft deck for the next hour taking in the view as we departed from Simpson Harbour , taking heaps of photos, including a beautiful sunset.

So summing up Rabaul, the scenery is spectacular, but you can see why it is not a major destination for cruise ships or tourists, as there is little infrastructure, a latent threat of being buried under volcanic ash, and limited things to do, but the people are extremely welcoming and friendly, without the commercialization seen in other major tourist centres. It is one of the best natural harbours you would see anywhere. You get the impression that Rabaul has been left to fend for itself, after the relocation of much of the city to Kokopo.