Rabaul and Tavurvur

Rabaul had the Pacific's prettiest harbour because the harbour is a flooded caldera - and the volcanoes that made it never left. The 1994 eruption buried much of the old town in ash, moving the capital of East New Britain to Kokopo and leaving Rabaul as a half-ghost of dug-out streets, a stoic market and the famous ash-drowned airport. Tavurvur, the culprit cone, still steams across the bay: boats cross to its flank past megapode birds that incubate eggs in the hot black sand, and the pre-dawn climb to the crater rim - guided, conditions permitting - looks into a smoking throat with the caldera sea spread below. War tunnels and the volcano observatory complete a landscape that treats catastrophe as scenery.

What you actually see

• Tavurvur's rim - the guided dawn climb to the smoking crater.
• The buried town - ash-drowned streets and the old airport.
• The megapode beach - birds incubating eggs in volcano-heated sand.
• The caldera harbour - the flooded ring that held the fleet.

When to go

May to November for drier trails and boat-calm mornings; the climb happens at first light for cool air and clear summit views. Volcanic status varies - guides and the observatory set the rules.

Honest expectations

Tavurvur is an active volcano: access depends on current activity, the ash slopes shred shoes, and the sulphur gases at the rim demand respect and brief visits - go only with local guides who read the mountain daily. Rabaul town is poignant rather than pretty; Kokopo has the beds and services.

Nearby

Kokopo's markets and war museum, the Duke of York islands and East New Britain's reefs.