Betio: battlefield relics & the port

Transcript

Everything the tour says, in order. Read it instead of listening if you prefer.

1. Before you start

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   Welcome to the Betio: battlefield relics & the port audio walk in South Tarawa. 5 stops: Japanese coastal defence guns, Betio, Betio battle relics, Japanese command bunker, Betio, Betio pier and port road and Red Beach and the landing reef, Betio. Half-day cluster at the western end: the 1943 battle relics, the beach and the port; go in the morning, take a driver from Bairiki.

   Betio's south-facing beach, the bunkers and the port road (approximate box; the islet is narrow). Underfoot: road edge, coral sand, concrete; slope: flat; shade: low.

   South Tarawa is a strip of coral about 35 km long and often only a few hundred metres wide, with the ocean on one side and a lagoon on the other. It is the capital of Kiribati, the place where a famous Pacific battle was fought in 1943, and a town of roughly 60,000 people living close to sea level.

   Before you start: Ask a local before entering a bunker or crossing family land. The relics are war graves: do not remove anything. Keep your eyes on the street, and pause the audio before you cross a road.

2. 1. Japanese coastal defence guns, Betio

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   Betio

   Look for

   • The gun emplacement
   • The surrounding ground
   • The barrel against the morning sky

   Stop 1 of 5: Japanese coastal defence guns, Betio. Locally, Betio.

   Go in the morning with a guide: surviving Japanese coastal guns on Betio; confirm which are accessible and expect a short, hot walk between sites.

   Look for The gun emplacement: Look at the scale of the barrel and the concrete. Look for The surrounding ground: Ask before crossing private land. For a photo: The barrel against the morning sky, 07:00–09:00.

   In late 1941 Japan occupied the Gilbert Islands, and over the following two years it turned Betio, the western tip of Tarawa, into a fortress. Betio is small: about three kilometres long and less than a kilometre wide at its widest, with an airstrip along its length. Japanese engineers and labourers built concrete bunkers, pillboxes, trenches and coastal guns around it.

   The site is a war memorial: do not remove or climb on anything. Quiet; the guns sit among homes and open ground, so expect people around. Allowed outdoors; ask before people, homes and government buildings.

   Walk:Next, stop 2: Betio battle relics. It's about 6 minutes on foot, about 300 metres to the north. Route: Walk to the coastal guns with your guide. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.

   Japanese coastal defence guns, Betio: hours, tickets and rules →

3. 2. Betio battle relics

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   Betio

   Look for

   • Main relics and bunkers
   • Coastal guns
   • Command bunker

   Stop 2 of 5: Betio battle relics. Locally, Betio.

   Go in the morning with a local guide: Japanese bunkers, guns and the landing beaches of November 1943, on a narrow islet with almost no shade.

   Look for Main relics and bunkers: The core of the visit. Look for Coastal guns: Ask which are accessible. Look for Command bunker: The largest structure.

   On 20 November 1943 the 2nd Marine Division landed on the lagoon side of Betio, on beaches the planners named Red 1, 2 and 3. By 23 November Betio was in American hands. Fish is eaten grilled, boiled, dried, or lightly cured with coconut and lime, and a day begins early at the fish market on Betio, where the morning catch is sold before the heat.

   The sites are war graves: do not remove or disturb anything. Few visitors; the islet is one of the most crowded places in the Pacific, so expect people and traffic.

   Walk:Next, stop 3: Japanese command bunker, Betio. It's about 8 minutes on foot, about 250 metres to the east. Route: Walk to the command bunker with your guide. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.

   Betio battle relics: hours, tickets and rules →

4. 3. Japanese command bunker, Betio

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   Betio

   Look for

   • Approach and outer walls
   • Entrances and rooms
   • Top and outlook

   Stop 3 of 5: Japanese command bunker, Betio. Locally, Betio.

   Go in the morning with a local guide: a huge Japanese concrete command bunker from 1943, a short walk from the main relics; ask first before you climb or enter.

   Look for Approach and outer walls: Thick reinforced concrete; look at the scale first. Look for Entrances and rooms: Enter only where a guide says it is safe. Look for Top and outlook: Only if your guide agrees; steps are uneven.

   Almost the entire Japanese and Korean garrison died; only a handful of prisoners survived. It runs from Betio in the west, past Bairiki and Bikenibeu, to the airport at Bonriki in the east, about 35 km in all. That is how most people reach Betio, the east end and the airport, and it is the safest way to move after dark, when stretches of the road are unlit and dogs roam.

   The site is a war grave and family land is nearby: do not remove anything and ask before entering. Few visitors; the surrounding streets are busy with local life from early morning.

   Walk:Next, stop 4: Betio pier and port road. It's about 15 minutes on foot, about 600 metres to the north-west. Route: Walk to the command bunker. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.

   Japanese command bunker, Betio: hours, tickets and rules →

5. 4. Betio pier and port road

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   Betio

   Look for

   • The pier and fishing boats
   • The port road
   • Boats at the pier

   Stop 4 of 5: Betio pier and port road. Locally, Betio.

   A short look at daily Betio: fishing boats, cargo and the port road; go early in the morning and keep to the road edge.

   Look for The pier and fishing boats: Watch the catch come in. Look for The port road: Everyday Betio. For a photo: Boats at the pier, morning.

   A three-day stay covers the essentials: a morning at Betio with a guide, a slow day in Bairiki with the lagoon shore and a maneaba visit if a host can arrange it, and an evening in Bikenibeu.

   Ask before photographing people, boats and port facilities. Busy with people and traffic from early morning; quieter mid-afternoon. This is a working port road: expect trucks, boats and crowds. Ask before photographing. Shade is scarce and the sun is hard after 10:00: bring water, a hat and sunscreen. Keep out of restricted port areas.

   Walk:Next, stop 5: Red Beach and the landing reef, Betio. It's about 15 minutes on foot, about 300 metres to the east. The tour waits here. Tap I've arrived when you get there.

   Betio pier and port road: hours, tickets and rules →

6. 5. Red Beach and the landing reef, Betio

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   Betio

   Look for

   • The shore and reef flat
   • Memorial marker
   • The reef flat at low tide

   Stop 5 of 5: Red Beach and the landing reef, Betio. Locally, Betio.

   Go at low tide in the morning: the lagoon-side beaches where the Marines landed on 20 November 1943; the reef flat shows why the assault was so hard.

   Look for The shore and reef flat: Look across the flat at low tide. Look for Memorial marker: Ask a guide whether one is nearby (check). For a photo: The reef flat at low tide, morning.

   Do not swim without local advice: currents are strong. Quiet; local families use the shore, especially late afternoon. The lagoon side of Betio was the landing side in 1943; the tide left boats stuck on the reef and Marines waded ashore under fire. Ask a guide which beach is which; naming and access are not signed (check). The lagoon has strong tidal currents: do not swim unless locals advise. The shore is family land and a memorial: leave nothing and take nothing.

   Red Beach and the landing reef, Betio: hours, tickets and rules →

7. End of the walk

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   That's the end of the Betio: battlefield relics & the port walk. To carry on, Bairiki: government quarter & lagoon shore is about 15 minutes away (car or minibus east).