Kimbe

Kimbe is the capital of the province of West New Britain in Papua New Guinea. It is a port town on the great Kimbe Bay which boasts more than 60 percent of the coral species of the entire Indo-Pacific. The bustling town of Kimbe is the third largest port in Papua New Guinea and is the fastest growing city in the South Pacific. Accommodation in Kimbe is readily available in many high-class resorts and hotels, as well as many budget guesthouses and motels dribbled along the province. The town of Kimbe is served by Hoskins Airport.

Geography

Kimbe Bay is set in a tropical setting with coral reefs and live-aboard diving expeditions that attract tourists world-wide. Active volcanic cones encircle Kimbe Bay on the island of New Britain. Blue-eyed cockatoos and the world’s largest moths fill the air, while bandicoots and wallabies share the landscape with one of the world’s greatest number of orchids.

Offshore coral reefs play an important role in local culture and mythology in Kimbe, even though they are rarely visited by islanders and biologically misunderstood. In Kimbe, as in many other places, coral was commonly considered to be lifeless rock, not a fragile living organism crucial to the survival of fish and other marine life. As a result, reefs were thought to be indestructible and no premium was put on their protection.