Lae & Morobe
Lae, the capital of Morobe province, is Papua New Guinea’s second city and an important commercial centre and seaport. The Botanical Gardens are among the best in the country. Mount Lunaman in the centre of the town was used by the Germans and the Japanese as a lookout point. It gives a magnificent view over the Huon Gulf and the Markham Valley.
Outside Lae is Wau, formerly a gold-mining centre. The Wau Ecology Institute, a privately funded organisation, has a small museum and zoo. Visitors can see cassowaries, tree kangaroos, crocodiles, birds of paradise, native butterflies and rhododendrons. Sights near Wau are McAdam National Park and Mount Kaindi, Finschhafen (a very pretty coastal town) and the Tami Islands, whose people are renowned for their carved wooden bowls. Sialum is an attractive area of coastline known for its coral terraces. White-water rafting on the Watut River is an attraction for the adventurous.
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