I noticed three key things whilst driving around the coastal edges of Nauru.
First, I quickly realised that every convenience store is owned by a Chinese family, something most Pacific Islands have in common. The sad thing is that these families have lived here for many years and did not bother to learn the local language properly so they speak it like pigeon English which is actually better than their English English !!!
Second is that Nauru suffers from the same fate as Niue and Micronesia – no beaches !!! It is surrounded in this case by a limestone reef instead of a coral reef. The limestone is present has pillars everywhere and simply cannot be stepped on. There are no sandy beaches and therefore no deck-chair resorts. This is not good for tourism. I had to rely on a big human-made breakwater known as Sunset Bay but at least it is 300-400m all the way around with warm clear calm water. I managed 6 laps at 2.1km on the morning of my last day so I can say that I actually swam in Nauru !!!
Third is that there are 4 police checkpoints around the island: north, south, east and west. All they do is check your drivers license so there must be a lot of underage driving on the island. Despite this no one wears seat belts – they are folded back behind the seats including my hire car !!! I got checked several times and most recognised me since I did repeated passes.
The limestone pillars in the ocean around the island are definitely unique and the signature geographical feature of Nauru. I have not seen such things anywhere else. It is a pity that there is no coral because at least this could attract tourists. There are also no other geographical features of note like caves or gorges (like Niue) since the island is too small. There is however a large underground pool called MOCQHA next to the airport terminal which attracts local families at low tide on weekends but you need a torch or candles to see anything – I visited it but it is not big enough for a proper swim.
Nauru uses the Australian Dollar and power point. There are many aid programs run by Australia and New Zealand but China is slowly taking over.
I visited the following places on my second day around the coast: Ataro North Bunker, Ataro Beach, Ataro South Bunker, Ibwenape, Yaren Bondi Beach, Yaren Gun, MOQUA WELL, Yaren Parliament House, Yaren Presidential Office, Yangor Orro Congregational Church, Yangor Viewpoint, BUADA LAGOON, Buada Chapel, Japanese WII Prison (Scrub), Command Ridge (Highest Point), Baitsi Beach, Arubo Catholic Church of Christ, CAPELLE SUPERMARKET & BOTTLE SHOP.
The highlight was visiting “Bondi Beach”, an actual sandy beach of that name just at the western tip of the runway but sadly there are many limestone rocks in the water making it very tough to swim distances.
The Capelle Supermarket is very well stocked with mostly Ozzie products. The Bottle Shop likewise. Everything is almost double the price of Oz given the distance from Oz. The cheapest bottle of wine is $22AUD but surprisingly fuel is $2.21AUD, same as most places in Oz.
The Parliament House & Ministerial Offices, Presidential Office and even a small University are all between the runway and ocean on the other side of the airport Terminal. Perfect for a quick escape from a Tsunami.
The one thing that Nauru shares with all the other Pacific Islands that I have visited is the friendliness and warmth of its local people. They love visitors and go out of their way to help you. They are very family focused and very religious. It is a pity that Nauru is the top of a huge underwater limestone mountain ridge instead of a sunken volcano with loads of coral on it.
In any case, Nauru does have spectacular sunrises and sunsets like most of its Pacific Island counterparts. Nauru also has a very photogenic coastline given the limestone pillars as you will see below. If you like heat and humidity on an unprecedented scale and love limestone pillars, then this is the place for you…
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