My trip to Nauru

Visas.First reserve a flight (2 a week.Apart from the monthly freighter from Queensland this is the only way to get to Nauru) at Ourairline,99,Creek Street,Brisbane;then E-mail trini.caleb@ourairline.com.nr.She's based in Nauru & will book you in to an hotel.Menem = A$95 single;Ad-N Aiwo = A$70/80/90 sing/doub/triple for a large ensuite A/C room with fridge & TV.Restaurant does decent food (A$5 - 8 a meal) there's I-net (A$2/hr.),pokies,a pool table,friendly staff & good views from the roof.
Once you've recieved confirmation of your hotel (allow 3 or 4 days) go & buy your flight (each leg of the B'bane - Honiara - Nauru - Hon - B'bane flight costs,roughly A$300-350 inc. taxes),then apply for your visa,also at 99,Creek st.
Takes 2 - 5 days for your "Confirmation for travel & entry into Nauru" to come through.
No transit visas at the moment.
Immigration will take your passport when you arrive,get it from Parliament building the next day.Visas seem to be free for most people nowadays.
The only bar on the island is at the Menem,but most places will serve you a beer with your meal.Capelle sells 6 packs of VB for A$11.75,or,near the Od-N,the petrol station/friendly Chinese run store sells 6 packs for A$14 ($1 less than in Oz!).
Things to do include : -
hunt down rusting WW2 relics,
photograph the cantilevers,
walk to & around scenic Buada lagoon,
try & spot a car that's not smashed up & still has both number plates,
at high tide paddle along the sandy beaches,
at low tide scrabble about in the rock pools,
have a pic-nic in the beach front fales outside Capelle,
wonder if the Chinese shops ever sell any of their inflatable childrens rubber rings.
There's a T.O. by Cenpac,but don't expect too much.
In 2007 phosphate mining restarted & Marcus Steven was elected PM.
Buses cruise the roads,including the #205 whose destination board says "city".
Have fun
John

Thanks for this rare and practical trip report!

What a sad state of affiars is Nauru. They were once the richest people on earth, but were ripped off by greedy Australian realtors. I used to work in Nauru House in Melbourne (nickname "Birdshit House"), which has now been renamed. The trademark blue star used to adorn the top and was visible from large parts of Melbourne. The President of Nauru, kept his State limo in the basement and had, I think all the top floor for "offices" - all now gone, I believe.

The reasons for the financial demise of Nauru actually have a bit to do with the Nauruans as well:

The tendency of the plane belonging to their International airline to be taken out of service without notice for use as the Preident's personal transport, or to convey the National Wrestling squad to an international competition (which, I understand, happened on at least one occasion while passengers were sitting in the transit lounge on Nauru!)

The incredibly expensive London Musical which must have gone close to setting the record for the shortest run ever in the West End

The tragedy is that so much of the nation's future was squandered, when EVERYONE knew that the guano mining had a very finite life, and the opportunity for potential alternative industry on Nauru is limited (even being part of the "Pacific Solution" was probably more trouble than it was worth, not-withstanding the morality of this scheme!)

will go there only in my next life..............

Mandja.
Now I understand your reply of 11th Feb. to me!

I visited Nauru some time ago..

I went to the cinema, which cost $1, and at the reel change the projectionist had some calamity.. the film was running backwards and upside down for a few seconds then stuck and melted on the screen. The cinema went dark and after about ten minutes the movie started again about twenty minutes into the story. It was a lot of fun and no-one in the audience shouted out or made much comment... I got the impression that it was not a surprising occurrence.

I'd flown Noumea to Nauru on a plane which had come from Melbourne. When I arrived at the airport, there was no-one there. I waited outside for over an hour until a gendarme arrived and opened the door. He took my passport and then lead me in to a bar, which was shut, and locked me inside. Half an hour later, two ladies came and opened the door. They turned on the lights and started making sandwiches. The plane arrived. A guard drove out with a staircase and the crew and three passengers got off the plane - a 737 - then they all came in to the bar for the sandwiches and some coffee. Finally the pilot said, "Everyone ready? Okay, let's go." The gendarme came back with my passport, all stamped, and off we went.

Barovski