19 Oct 2019

Adventures on Rabaul

A faint breeze and glassy water greeted us as Spirit of Enderby sailed into the dramatic flooded caldera of Rabaul harbour. Surrounded by the jagged peaks of six volcanoes, we jumped in the Zodiacs and headed to Kokopo - the town tipped to replace Rabaul which was once known as the 'jewel of the southwestern Pacific'.

Filling four mini vans and led by local guides we visited the rusting ruins inside the Japane se Barge Tunnels, the Rabaul Volcanic Observatory with its jaw-slackening views over the harbour and crater rim, the bunker/hideout of Pearl Harbour commander Yamamoto and neighbouring museum, and the site of the former Rabaul airport still covered in volcanic ash and rock following the 1994 eruptions of Tavurvur and Vulcan Volcanoes. We then went slightly off the itinerary to check out a sunken Japanese supply vessel repurposed as part of the wharf before joining the locals shopping at the bustling Kokopo markets.

The afternoon was spent snorkelling and beachcombing at the Duke of York Islands at a new site suggested by the local dive shop before re-boarding Spirit of Enderby for another sensational sunset against the sharp angles of the volcanic landscape.

Image (c) I. Wilson, Heritage Expeditions