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New Britain

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W5DFM6 Aerial View of Islands of Kimbe Bay, New Britain, Papua New Guinea

Alamy Stock Photo

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Overview

New Britain is stunning. PNG’s largest island, it has a bit of everything you’ve come to this country for – think colonial history, remarkable traditional cultures and pristine wilderness (despite areas where there are logging and mining). The pièce de résistance? Volcanoes. The whole region is a rumbling, billowing string of cones and craters cloaked with virgin tropical rainforest. Some are dormant and harmless while others are scrappy villains that periodically flex their muscles. In September 1994 Mt Tavurvur and Mt Vulcan erupted and destroyed most of Rabaul, one of PNG’s biggest and most alluring cities, in a furious rain of ash and rock.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Submarine Base

    New Britain

    For a picnic spot, nothing can beat the Submarine Base at Tavui Point. The Japanese used to provision submarines here during the war. There are tunnel and…

  • Matupit Island

    New Britain

    The 1994 eruption should have destroyed little Matupit Island but the prevailing winds brought Tavurvur’s load over Rabaul and left this connected island…

  • Queen Emma's Steps

    New Britain

    From the Historical & Cultural Centre it's a short walk to the site of Queen Emma's house, Gunantambu, now occupied by of the Gazelle International Hotel…

  • Kimbe

    New Britain

    Kimbe is the provincial headquarters and a major centre for palm-oil production. Although it has a seafront, it's a fairly unassuming town with no real…

  • Kokopo Market

    New Britain

    The buzzing Kokopo market is also well worth a stroll. It’s best on Saturday. Buai (betel nut) and its condiments, daka (mustard stick) and cumbung …

  • Bita Paka War Cemetery

    New Britain

    This poignant war cemetery contains the graves of over 1000 Allied war dead, many of them Indian slaves. The gardens are lovely. It’s 8km off the main…

  • Peter ToRot’s Cemetery & Memorial Church

    New Britain

    As the Burma Rd begins to dip towards the coast, it passes through the Rakunai site of Peter ToRot’s Cemetery and Memorial Church. Peter ToRot was a…

  • Japanese Barge Tunnels

    New Britain

    Tunnels built to hold the barges out of sight from the Allies. They were hauled to the water along rails by Indian slaves, now buried at Bita Paka War…

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