Kokopo
War Museum
The museum has an impressive collection
of artifact gathered in the Rabaul area, mostly Japanese. Their collection includes
tanks, search lights, munitions, motorcycles, half-tracks, guns, artillery, machine
guns, and the wrecks and partial wreck of many Japanese aircraft
Volcano
Observatory
Has a commanding view of the active and
dormant volcanoes of the area. The old town, covered by ash during the 1994 eruption
is to the left of the photograph. In the center is the natural harbor, which during
the war would have been crowded with Japanese ships. In the lower section of the
photo are building of the new town, reconstructed after the eruption.
Bitapaka
Allied War Cemetery
This cemetery is an interesting
lesson in the pivotal role that Rabaul played in the history of WWI, and to the
atrocities and ill treatment of Allied POWs in Rabaul who were killed at the hands
of their Japanese captors, or worked to death as slave labor. Today, it is well
maintained, and meticulously kept by the British Commonwealth.
Japanese
War Memorial
This memorial was constructed by the Japanese
after the war as a peace memorial, and a monument to those who lost their life
in and around Rabaul. It is located above the town, with a beautiful view of the
area that was once occupied by thousands of Japanese Navy and Army personnel.
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