Hanuabada Village

Hanuabada, the big village, is the principal Motu settlement on Port Moresby harbour and predates the colonial town by a long way; the Motu were the traders of this coast, sailing the annual hiri voyages west to the Gulf to exchange clay pots for sago in large multi-hulled lakatoi. The village is built out over the water on stilts with plank walkways linking the houses, several hundred dwellings in clusters belonging to different clans, and it was rebuilt after fire destroyed it during the Second World War. It remains a working community rather than a display, and visiting means going with someone from the village or a guide who has arranged it.

What you actually see

• The stilt houses - the dwellings built out over the harbour water.
• The plank walkways - the linked paths between the houses.
• The Motu community - the working village and its clan clusters.
• The harbour - Port Moresby's water in front of the village.

When to go

May to October in the drier season. The Hiri Moale festival in September brings the lakatoi and the village's traditions into public view. Visits should be arranged with a local contact rather than made unannounced.

Honest expectations

This is a lived-in village, not an attraction; arriving unannounced is not appropriate and a local contact is needed. Photography requires asking. Walkways are in variable repair. Getting around Port Moresby means arranged transport rather than walking between districts.

Nearby

Ela Beach lies southeast; central Port Moresby is behind the village.