Rabaul, Papua New Guinea

A local bus at a Mobil Station

Arriving at Rabaul

Before dawn, we sailed into Simpson Harbor, a deep and well -sheltered harbor created about 1400 years ago when the Pacific Ocean filled a caldera following a catastrophic volcanic eruption. We could actually smell the volcano before we could see it. A huge grey plume rose out of the volcano and we could see steam coming from vents all the way down all visible sides of the cone. The sun was just rising as we sailed past the volcano to our dock in the harbor. At 4 degrees south of the equator, Rabaul is hot and humid with lush vegetation covering any of the countryside that wasn’t buried under ashes in the 1994 eruption. That eruption destroyed the town of Rabaul and caused the relocation of the provincial capital from there to Kokopo, about 12 miles away. We were told that in some places the ash is 12 feet deep, however, we were told there were no deaths from the 1994 eruption. What we know is that the ash is everywhere. There have been rains, so there is gray mud at the sides of all of the streets and walkways. When the wind blows, you can see ash flying from the dry areas of the pavement. The ship’s security staff, who have to stand at the gangway all day, were wearing masks to protect them from the airborne ash. We didn’t feel anything but we were very aware of the poor air quality. There is constant threat of eruption and right now the airport is closed because of the density of the ash clouds blowing over the runway.

During World War II, Rabaul had great significance as a Japanese base that included 5 airfields, a seaplane and submarine base, and a large naval facility. At the peak, there were close to 200,000 in the Japanese garrison. Today there remain parts of an extensive tunnel system, bunkers, a war museum, and cemetery as well as other military artifacts providing reminders of a tragic history.

Once we were away from the ship and through the port’s security gate, there were many locals selling handicrafts. Many passengers purchased fine masks for very little money. There were hand made fabric bags, jewelry, carvings, and shells for sale. There were women with toddlers dressed in traditional garb hoping to have tourists photograph them for a dollar.

We walked a block and turned right to head toward the town, with 20 eight-year-old boys tagging along with four couples. I don’t know why they went with us, but they asked if they could follow us and we said yes. This is a really undeveloped country with extensive poverty, many children, and few motorized vehicles. We may have been at the town, but we are not sure. At any rate, we reached a point at which we felt the need to return to the ship.

The children and the adults were slow to smile, but friendly and welcoming, greeting us with cheerful “hellos” whether they were walking or driving by. None of the children wore shoes and many of their shirts were quite torn. The absence of both begging and persistent harassment of us to purchase from them was greatly appreciated. Many of the adults’ teeth showed the red color and large gaps of beetle nut consumption. They chew the nuts with lime juice to get high and the nuts stain their teeth and the lime juice corrodes the enamel.

The poverty was overwhelming for me so I can’t imagine what it is like for them. It is tempting to take money ashore and just hand it out to them, but, of course, that will do nothing positive for them in the long run.

So we sail away past the volcano spewing thick black clouds into the sky and wonder what the future will be for those 20 eight-year-olds.