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Living Life Under Erupting Volcano Tavurvur – Rabal – Papua New Guinea

• by Srinivas Rao
• on January 4th, 2011
• 2 Comments

Editor’s Note: This is a guest post by Mark Lawrence from Lifestyle Ignition

After arriving in Kokopo Airport I hitched a ride to Rabaul Town.  I traveled in a Public Motor Vehicle (PMV) down the poorly maintained dirt road that connected the two cities.  As the road snaked around and hugged the coast I would catch glimpses here and there of the ash plumb billowing out of Volcano Tavurvur.  The rain was coming down hard.  As the ash spread over the sky, it mixed with the rain combining to form heavy clumps that fell from the sky.  It was literally raining mud!  In a futile attempt to see through the windshield, the driver attempted to use wipers.  These only helped to spread a black muddy smear across the glass.  As mud rained down from the sky, the driver squinted to see through the filthy mess, as the vehicle skidded on the slick and muddy roads.

Arriving in Rabaul I quickly realized how the town had adapted to living under this constantly erupting volcano.  In 1994, Volcano Tavurvur and Vulcan erupted so ferociously that it destroyed the airport and most of the town.  Since then, the provincial capital was moved to Kokopo, and the towns inhabitants that remained lived under a constant sprinkling of “dust” as they call it.  In 2006, there was another violent eruption with an ash plume that reached 18km and vibrations that shattered windows 12km away.  Everyone had stories about how Rabaul used to be.  They pointed to cement blocks or pieces of wood that poked out of the ground and told me what used to be there.  Where the airport was, which street led to the market, etc.  Now, it looks like a moonscape.  Volcanic ash covers everything.  This “dust” constantly falls from the sky, as the ground rumbles and the earth sometimes shakes.  Not to worry though, as there is an observation post that monitors the activity to alert everyone when it’s time to really leave.

In order to stop buildings from collapsing under the weight of the constantly falling ash, people constantly are sweeping dust off the rooftops with brooms.  They also sweep pathways in what seems a hilariously futile attempt at fighting nature.  Dust is a part of life here.  You can’t escape it.  Sometimes it falls stronger than other times, but it is constantly there.  It gets in the eyes, your hair, your pores, and your clothes.  It even feels like it comes through the walls.  The dust is fine and gets everywhere.  Literally, everywhere.  You breathe it.  You taste it.  Dust is constant.  You can’t escape.  Standing outside for even a few minutes means getting completely covered.  Add that to the moonscape atmosphere, and you feel like you’re on the edge of the Earth.

Rabaul however, is an enchanting place like nowhere else on Earth.  Views from the erupting volcano day and night are nothing short of spectacular.  The volcano sits on the Pacific Coast on the island of New Britain.  As waves roll onto the shore, the water is actually boiling.  The Volcano rumbles and spews ash and molten rocks.  You feel the sheer power of the Earth.

Srinivas Rao

Srinivas is an avid surfer and personal development blogger at The Skool of Life. He's also the host and co-founder of BlogcastFM, a podcast for bloggers.