Sights in New Britain
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Mioko Island
Mioko Island is the best one to visit, with a smattering of sights, including good beaches, two open-pit caves on the island's eastern flank and a coastwatcher's lookout cut into the cliff top nearby on the easternmost point. For many years hundreds of people hid in these caves to avoid being press-ganged by the Japanese.
Nearby, a tiny tunnel runs between the two cliff faces of the island's eastern tip. You can crawl between (it's rough going) for two views of the open sea and sky, and the cruel cliff below you. If you want to snorkel, try the southern coast, but it's only good in calm conditions.
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Kokopo Market
The buzzing Kokopo market is well worth a stroll. It's best on Saturdays. Buai (betel nut) and its condiments, daka (mustard stick) and cumbung (mineral lime, which looks rather like cocaine in its little plastic wraps) account for half of the stalls, with produce, such as fruit, vegetables, smoked fish and crabs accounting for the remainder. At the rear, tobacco growers sell dried leaves; homemade cigars wrapped with sticky tape at the mouth-end sell for around K1 each.
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Kimbe
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 interest for travellers. But there's Kimbe Bay. Ah, Kimbe Bay. With its unique seamounts capped with coral towers reaching the surface, it has earned its celebrity status among divers and snorkellers around the world. The marine biodiversity here is stunning, with more than 350 types of hard coral and 860 species of fish vying for your attention.
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Talasea
Talasea is an active volcanic region set in a dramatic landscape. Lake Dakataua, at the tip, was formed in a colossal eruption in 1884. It's definitely worth seeing two WWII plane wrecks that lie partially disintegrated in the jungle near Talasea. There's a Mitchell B-25 Bomber and a Lockheed Vega Ventura - an impressive sight. As public transport is virtually non-existent, your best bet to visit Talasea and the Willaumez Peninsula is to arrange a tour through the Walindi Plantation Resort.
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Kokopo Waterfront
The best place to soak up the atmosphere is the Kokopo Waterfront, where banana boats (speed boats) pull up on the east end of the beach, and their drivers wait for a fare or they're fishing. These boats come and go from all over the province, the Duke of Yorks and New Ireland. The operators usually sleep through the midday heat under the big trees or gather in small groups, playing cards and string-band music on their salty ghetto blasters.
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C
East New Britain Historical & Cultural Centre
The rewarding East New Britain Historical & Cultural Centre has a tremendous collection of historical objects, photographs and many Japanese WWII relics. The Tok Pisin documents issued to Allied airmen are accompanied by translations instructing the reader to obey the white men who fell from the sky. Most poignant is the courageous role played by the locals in a war whose origins were completely alien to them.
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D
New Guinea Club & Rabaul Museum
Just next door to Admiral Yamamoto's Bunker is New Guinea Club & Rabaul Museum. Established in 1933, this club was a businessmen's club with strict guidelines for membership. It was destroyed in WWII and rebuilt in the 1950s to its former glory only to be destroyed again by fire in 1994. It has been partly restored and is now home to a small museum. Ask at the Rabaul Hotel for the key.
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E
Queen Emma's House
Head to the site of Queen Emma's house, located right where the road terminates at the Ralum Country Club. Emma Forsayth, from Samoa, started a trading business at Mioko in the Duke of York Islands in 1878 before extending her empire to include plantations, trade stores and ships. Don't hold your breath; there's not much to see of Gunantambu, her grand home, which was ruined in WWII.
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F
Admiral Yamamoto's Bunker
There are countless tunnels and caverns in the hillsides around Rabaul. Admiral Yamamoto's Bunker (locked) is interesting although austere, and the placards near it are informative. There's a map on the ceiling for plotting world domination.
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Hoskins
The picturesquely located 'major' airport of WNB is 40km east of Kimbe. There are a number of forested volcanoes surrounding town, including the active Mt Pago. Located a short distance inland, at Koimumu, there's an active geyser field.
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Vulcanology Observatory
A worthwhile site is the Vulcanology Observatory, about 900m off Tunnel Hill Rd, from where you can enjoy million-dollar views over the bay and the volcanoes.
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Garu Hot River
If you need to relax, it's well worth dipping your toes in the Garu Hot River. Waters are comfortably warm and there's a mini-waterfall.
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