Signal verified · updated 2026-09-03
New Britain
PNG's largest offshore island: volcanic peaks, the Rabaul caldera, oil-palm plains and WWII history.
- Formation
- volcanic arc; active volcanoes (Ulawun, Langila, Tavurvur), calderas and hot springs
- Population
- 592,633
- Water
- Pacific Ocean
- Access
- moderate
Every required movement
The passage
to New Britain.
Fly to Tokua (RAB) near Kokopo or Hoskins (HKN) near Kimbe from Port Moresby; coastal shipping from Lae.
- 01Tokua (RAB), Kokopo
Nearest recorded air access
Schedule or condition may change · verify - 02Water crossing
Rabaul Shipping / Lutheran Shipping coastal services (Kimbe-Lae-Rabaul); liveaboard dive boats in Kimbe Bay.
Schedule or condition may change · verify - 03Entry check
PNG visa regime; no special island permit.
Schedule or condition may change · verify
Research, then reserve
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What the chart cannot hold
What becomes visible when you follow rabaul caldera and tavurvur beyond the familiar map?
Crescent-shaped volcanic island NE of mainland New Guinea. Rabaul was the German and Australian colonial capital until the 1994 eruption; Kimbe Bay is a global coral-diversity hotspot.
Named by Dampier 1700; German New Guinea capital at Herbertshohe/Kokopo-Rabaul; Australian mandate; major Japanese base 1942-45; returned to Australia, then PNG 1975; Tavurvur eruption 1994.
Field ledger
The useful
details.
- Coordinates
- 5.75° S · 150.60° E
- Sovereignty
- Papua New Guinea · part of country
- Nearest mainland
- New Guinea mainland (~70 km across Dampier Strait / Vitiaz Strait)
- Best recorded window
- May-October (drier season, best diving visibility).
- Permits / entry
- PNG visa regime; no special island permit.
- Languages
- Tok Pisin, English, Tolai (Kuanua), Baining languages, Bariai
Community intelligence
Notes from
the crossing.
Share firsthand conditions, access changes, respectful observations, or a question for someone who has been.
No traveler has left a public note here yet.
The empty ledger is part of the mystery—and an invitation to be useful.Travel information changes quickly. This field file was last revised 2026-09-03. Confirm all transport and permit details before booking.
Official source