Things to do in Island Provinces
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Sohano Island
You can also take a boat ride to explore the idyllic islands near the southern mouth of the passage and beyond. Good swimming spots are on these islands. The most easily accessible is Sohano Island, a few minutes by boat from Buka. It was the provincial capital from WWII until 1960. It's a beautiful place with lawns and gardens, a Japanese monument, and war relics, steep craggy cliffs and panoramic views over town, the passage and Bougainville Island. There are some colonial-period buildings.
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PNG Diabetic Centre
Laugh all your want, but PNG Diabetic Centre is a treasure trove for artefact-hunters, with masks, necklaces, shells, carvings and other souvenirs aplenty. It's run by Paul Schwartz, who also works as a 'diabetes counciller', policeman and, should you need to boost your morale, a psychotherapist.
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Kavieng Surf Club
Calling all surfers! Kavieng has an up-and-coming surf scene (luckily it's still a fairly secret surfing Nirvana), with a good range of reef breaks, both lefts and rights, that are easily accessible. They vary in difficulty, depending on the size and direction of the swell. From November to late April, swells of up to 2.4m are not unheard of. What makes surfing here so unique is the lack of crowds - utter bliss if you come from, say, Bali.
Even if it's growing in popularity, the Kavieng Surf Club ensures that the number of surfers is kept at a sustainable level thanks to a surf quota system. Among the most thrilling spots are Pikinini, Karanas, Nago Island, Edmago Island,…
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Kabaira Dive Rabaul
It's almost too good to be true: Simpson Harbour offers several first-class wreck dives, while the reefs off the western tip of Gazelle Peninsula are totally unspoiled and positively festooned with healthy, hard and soft corals, sponges, gorgonians and a dizzying array of tropical fish: a perfect combination. Run by the capable Stephen Woolcott, Kabaira Dive Rabaul is based at Kabaira Beach Hideaway, a few finstrokes from splendid reefs.
The main drawback is the location; if you're based in Rabaul, you'll have to fork out about A$40 for transfers, or take a PMV (40 minutes). If you're a keen diver, it's best to base yourself at the Kabaira Beach Hideaway. Good snorkelling…
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Buka passage
A particular highlight in Buka is the Buka passage, which refers to the channel that separates Buka Island from Bougainville Island. The water runs at about 6 knots when the tide is fast, making deep undulations on the water's surface. Riding in a banana boat in Buka Passage is a buzz. Banana boats congregate near the animated market and the passage is abuzz with these small crafts plying between the town and Kokopau village (opposite Buka on Bougainville Island).
A word of warning: avoid snorkelling in Buka Passage; you could wind up lost at sea because of the current, and the boat traffic on the surface is pretty intense.
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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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Baia Sportfishing Lodge
Sportfishing enthusiasts will make a beeline for Baia Sportfishing Lodge, a reputable, high-standard fishing lodge in remote Baia that attracts Ernest Hemingway fans. It's run by Liamo Reef Resort in Kimbe. The numerous river systems are home to the infamous black bass and spot tail bass, and the neighbouring coral reefs are a playpen for reef and pelagic species, including tuna, wahoo, giant trevally, marlin and sailfish among the prime catches.
There's a minimum stay of four nights. Prices include fishing gear, boat and guide, as well as transfers to Hoskins airport (about 4½ hours by boat).
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Haus Win
Top marks for this oasis which is part of Kokopo Beach Hotel. High-quality Chinese and Western cooking, a good selection of Australian tipples and a switched-on ambience ensure plenty of regular customers among the expat community and local glitterati. There are many highlights, including a copious chow mein, prawn cutlets, Chinese omelette and a few vegetarian options.
One downside: most desserts on the menu, including a tempting sago pudding, were not available the day we ate there - so frustrating.The dining area, designed with local materials, proffers lovely views over the bay.
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Phoenix Room
When it comes to Asian cooking, chef Solis knows his stuff. Chinese specialities are served with absolute proficiency - the fluffiest foo yongs (omelette) in PNG, guaranteed! The sweet-and-sour pork is another hot favourite. Western dishes, such as pork chops or beef stroganoff, also feature on the menu. There are a good choice of vegetarian options too; rare in PNG.
If the service is longish, you can always gaze at some risqué oriental paintings on the walls or at the huge tabu (sacred) wheel hanging from the ceilings.
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Cycling
Feel like enjoying the scenery and atmosphere from the saddle instead of a seat in a car or PMV? Cycling is an ecofriendly and cheap way to discover New Ireland's east coast along cycle-friendly Boluminski Hwy. You can choose your own pace and become intimate with local communities. Boluminski Hwy seems to have been purpose-built for cycling, with very little traffic, no pollution, a surfaced road that's perfectly flat, and a number of guesthouses conveniently located along the way.
You can cover the whole stretch in four to five days.
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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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Arawa to Buin
The Arawa-Buin section (about three hours by vehicle) was still a bit tricky when we visited, due to the odd checkpoint controlled by so-called BRA diehards (locals prefer to call them raskols) south of Aropa. They sometimes turn foreigners back or ask them for whatever money they need. Don't panic: this 'checkpoint' is apparently very occasional, and by the time you read this, there should be no more checkpoints or roadblocks on the island. Monitor the news when you arrive in Buka.
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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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Steak House
Carnivores, rejoice: this well-regarded eatery located at Queen Emma Lodge brims with deliciously prepared rump, eye fillet, T-Bone and sirloin steaks. If you've had your fill of animal proteins, pizzas are also available. Lunch is easier on the wallet (and on the stomach), when fish and chips, and sandwiches are on offer. The décor, enlivened with wooden floor and artefacts, creates a mildly exotic atmosphere that encourages a long, relaxed dinner.
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Bagail Cemetery
The closest thing Kavieng has to a regular 'sight' is the Bagail Cemetery, where Baron Boluminski was buried. The tough guy's grave is right before you as you enter the cemetery.
The tyrannical German Baron Boluminski became district officer of Kavieng in 1910 and built the highway that bears his name by forcing each village along the coast to construct and maintain a section. He made villagers push his carriage over any deteriorated sections.
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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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Admiral Yamamoto's aircraft wreck
Admiral Yamamoto's aircraft wreck is the area's most historically interesting wreck. Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto, who planned the attack on Pearl Harbour, left Rabaul in a 'Betty Bomber' on 18 April 1943 with a protective group of Zeros, not realising that US fighters were waiting for him near Buin. The wreckage of the bomber still lies in the jungle a few kilometres off the Panguna-Buin road. It's signposted, near Aku, 24km before Buin.
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Wuvulu Island
Manus Province comprises a handful of very remote offshore islands, including Wuvulu Island, which was made famous by Jean-Michel Cousteau when he conducted several Project Ocean Search expeditions in the 1970s. Other islands worthy of note are Hermit and Ninigo, about 240km to the north-northeast of Wewak. Due to their far-flung location, these spots rarely see foreign visitors, bar a few divers on live-aboards (starting from Wewak).
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Loloho
Four kilometres northwest of Arawa is Loloho on Arawa Bay, the port to which the copper concentrate was piped down from Panguna, the site of the power station and home to many of the mine workers. There's a palpable feel of nostalgia in Arawa. The old buildings and the workers' quarters, still visible, testify to a prosperous past. Some people still conjure up this glorious past, 'when Arawa was the richest town in PNG'.
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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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US airbase
If you head to Los Negros Island, east of Lorengau, check out the remains of the US airbase at Lombrum. There's a fine anti-aircraft gun as you enter, and rows of old hangers. General MacArthur's HQ is still in use by the PNG Navy. The former Australian refugee detention centre, where asylum seekers who were arriving in Australia were processed during Australia's 'Pacific Solution' days, is located here too.
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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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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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Panguna
High in the centre of the island, the dormant mine of Panguna (still off-limits at the time of writing) is one of the world's largest artificial holes. Bougainville Copper Limited was the operator of the open-cut mine. Copper was discovered at Panguna in 1964. There are talks of reopening that mine once the situation in Bougainville is fully stabilised. Stay tuned.
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