Rabaul - General Info
Description:
Rabaul lies on the northern tip of New Britain at the foot of the Mount Tavurvur volcano. The latest volcanic eruption occurred on 29 August 2014. It’s the largest town on the island of New Britain.
The harbour that made the area so attractive as a port when it was first settled by German colonists, was actually formed when the sea partially flooded the caldera after a cataclysmic eruption about 1,400 years ago.
In 1937, an explosive eruption from Mount Tavurvur obliterated much of the town, killing 500 people in the process. In 1994 Mount Tavurvur and another nearby volcano Mount Vulcan, burst to life simultaneously. A quick evacuation plan meant that just five people lost their lives, but so much ash piled up on buildings that about two-thirds of the town was destroyed.
Once called “The Pearl of the Pacific” the volcanic eruptions in 1994 and 2014 have turned it into something more like Pompeii. Very little of the original town remains and there is plenty of thick volcanic ash, however, the locals are said to be extremely friendly and the yacht club very welcoming.
The Duke of York Islands are just a few hours sail from Rabaul, with a very protected anchorage and locals that are keen to welcome yachties. See the Reports section for the most recent cruiser experiences.
Security:
Recent advice is that security concerns remain so be vigilant. It is recommended to use the yacht club moorings. Night time anchoring in Kokopo off the resorts should also be treated with caution as boardings and thefts continue to be reported from here. The Duke of York Islands, close to Kokopo, have several good anchorages, with local villagers keen to ensure the safety of their island group for traveling yachts.
Position:
04° 15.15’S, 152° 10.57’E (bay entrance)
Last updated: January 2024
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DUKE OF YORK ISLANDS: Only a few hours sail from Rabaul is the DoY islands. We have anchored here next to Mioko Island in a near geographically perfect anchorage. It is 5m of sandy bottom, fully protected in all directions from wave and swell and with a stern tie to the beach you are near fully protected from the strong winds that tumble through the St George’s Channel.
Culturally the village is beautiful. It’s full of children and you can hear their laughter all day. The village pretty with houses surrounded by flowers.
Simon and his three sons run a local guest house and were on the beach to guide us in as we arrived. They understood our security concerns and for K50 a day they provide 24hr security. At night they stay awake with their torches on and we feel very safe. We make them dinner and bring over coffee before we sleep. Simon is friendly with perfect English as is his wife. They are very keen to develop this geographically blessed anchorage into a yachting hub and rightly so. Contact his some Manuel in WhatsApp +675 7111 4635 in advance to make arrangements.
They offer a range of tourist services including transfers to the mainland and a dolphin tour which we did today and was totally epic!
RABAUL: We didn’t feel hugely comfortable in Rabaul, even off the yacht club. The club was robbed the day we arrived, despite having 4 security guards, and the expat, Rod, who greeted us from his live aboard yacht told us that he sleeps with a gun and has been attacked several times.
Saying that, we had no incident and there were so many huge commercial vessels in the harbour that it was well lit by their lights. We had all our deck lights on, locked the hatches and doors and had a proximity alarm and security camera on at high. This helped us to sleep well and we left as soon as we could the next morning to an all together different anchorage that is the complete opposite!
See good feedback about Rabaul July 2023 in PNG comments, accessed via speech bubble on main PNG pages.
Customs in Kokopo have changed location
The customs in Kokopo have changed their location. They are now a bit off the Rabaul-Kokopo-Road. As soon as you found the WestPac-Building, you will also see a Brian Bell hardware store on the other side.
Enter the road to the right of it (while facing it) and walk about 50 meters. On your left, you will find a small plaza with the customs offices as well as a Catholic book store.
Happy sailing,
Fritze (S.Y. Alytes)
Posted on behalf of SV Segue:
The Internet in Rabaul is AWESOME! Digicel just upgraded their towers to 4G and — with either a smartphone (iOS or Android) and subscribing to a data plan, you’ll enjoy FAST 4g service!
Sims are available in most of the supermarkets for k$5.00 and data is — as usual in this part of the world — a little “spendy”, but very high quality. Skype works perfectly!
Whoever sells you the sim can help you with selecting a data package that works for you –and help you configure your device to access the ‘net.