There are a number of reasons why. Not only did the island become one of the largest allied airbases in WWII (the whole island was overrun by the US military after the Battle of Tinian in 1944), it was also the launching point for the “Enola Gay” and “Bockscar” B-29 bombers for the attack on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.

Today, almost all of the former airbase is abandoned, however, visitors can see the exact spot the bombers were loaded with their deadly cargo, scuba dive bays filled with discarded WWII machinery, and enjoy some of the wonders of the island that existed before Europeans set foot in the pacific in the form of prehistoric taga stones.

So if you are up for a dark tourist trip to Tinian, let’s get started with a bit of history…

Tinian Island During WWII

After realizing the strategic importance of Tinian to the American entry into WWII, the Japanese scrambled to create a military force on the island.

However, despite the fact an 8,500-man Japanese garrison was posted there, the Battle of Tinian (from 24 July to 1 August 1944) was a massive defeat for the Japanese. Only 313 survived the fighting, while the allies seized the island with very few casualties.

An estimated 15,700 Japanese civilians were also living on the island at the time of the battle. Hundreds died in the crossfire, while hundreds more were executed by the Japanese military so that the Americans could not capture them.

It was a bloody, brutal battle for the Japanese and the civilian population, a small sign of what was to come once the allies had got a foothold in the Pacific, (the atomic bomb would soon follow).

Construction of the Airbase

True to the Japanese fear of strategic importance, the US immediately began constructing an airbase on the island. Located 1,500 miles (2,400 kilometers) from mainland Japan, Tinian was perfect for long-range bombing attacks.

The base was massive and incorporated the entire island with a 40,000-personnel installation. It was so huge in fact that the military laid it out in a pattern of streets similar to Manhatten, with the streets named accordingly. A slice of home for the Americans posted there.

North Field & West Field

Two runways West Field and North Field were constructed to accommodate the flow of aircraft flying in and out from combat and reconnaissance missions or delivering supplies.

North field was eventually used for missions to mainland Japan and the subsequent dropping of the two atomic bombs, Little Boy and Fat Man.

Today what was once part of West Field is Tinian International Airport. The runways at North Field, meanwhile, are overgrown and abandoned except for a few former airbase buildings and the Atom Bomb Loading Pits, (more on these below).

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Tinian Island after WWII

After the war, the island became part of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands. This was controlled by the United States and a significant military presence remained there.

However, as economic ties with Japan increased during the second half of the 20th century, the pacific threat was greatly reduced.

From 1978, the island came under the municipality of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.

The US military presence amounted to the use of just one runway during the 1980s. North Field continued to be used for U.S. Marine Corps training exercises.

By the 1990s, the US military had all but gone and the island began developing its tourist trade.

Where is Tinian Island?

Tinian is part of the Northern Mariana Islands. Situated 1500 miles (2400 km) south of Japan and 1600 miles (2600 km) east of the Philippines, the island is a tad on the remote side. Guam is only 125 miles (200 km) away, however.

Visiting Tinian Island Today

As already mentioned, Tinian is an essential stop for anyone traveling around the pacific islands in pursuit of WWII history. It really is packed with it.

Here are some of the highlights of a trip to Tinian, both from a military tourism perspective and general enjoyment of what is a beautiful part of the world.

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Former Airbase and Memorial

The abandoned runways at North Field are a must-see while in Tinian. Plaques and displays mark the atomic bomb pits where the Enola Gay and Bockscar planes were loaded before heading to Hiroshima and Nagasaki with their devastating cargo.

There’s also remains of the actual airbase and of course, the massive network of concrete runways, albeit overgrown, still exists.

A tour will also take you to some of the Japanese fortifications that were built before the allied takeover at the Battle of Tinian.

Manhattan Connection

Streets throughout the island still have the names that were given to them by the US military during WWII

Driving down semi-empty “New York City” streets such as Broadway, 42nd Street, Lenox Avenue, Riverside Drive, and Eighth Avenue is quite a surreal experience in this remote part of the Pacific.

Scuba Dive Dump Cove

Scuba diving the pacific waters is beautiful whichever island you happen to be on. However, on Tinian, it is all the more dramatic for the items you will find.

A place called Dump Cove is a favorite for tourists; here planes, tanks, ammunition, and jeeps all lay under the water. A mecca of submerged WWII machinery second only to the larger stash at the Ghost Fleet of Truk Lagoon.

For other types of recreational diving, there’s the popular cave dive at Tinian Grotto.

Historical wonders & Natural Monuments

3,000 years ago, Chamorro King Taga built an ancient palace on the island. All that exists of that now are the prehistoric taga stones used for the construction. That being said, visiting the site of the stones and where the palace once stood is a popular tourist attraction while on Tinian.

There’s also interesting evidence of the Japanese existence on the island in the form of the Shinto shrines, and old ruins that can be found off the beaten track (a guide is required) in Tinian’s jungles and caves.

There is also the Blowhole. Exactly as it sounds, this natural monument regularly shoots 10-meter columns of water into the air.

How to get to Tinian?

Getting to Tinian is not a simple affair. In fact, for many tourists, a visit to the island often forms part of a larger itinerary that involves other pacific islands and landmarks.

Nearby Saipan is better serviced by international airlines, with direct flights from Tokyo or Osaka. A short flight of ferry journey will then take you to Tinian.

Guam is another “hub” relatively close by. US airlines operate to Guam from Hawaii and Japan. Again, transit then needs to be organized to Tinian.

Where to stay?

The Tinian Casino and Hotel is the best option for those looking for a level of luxury. In recent years, local owners have been opening up their homes using Airbnb and Booking.com.

Featured Image: Mztourist / CC BY-SA

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I have an insatiable wanderlust for the extraordinary. Born with an adventurous spirit, I have spent over the past decade exploring the far reaches of our planet, seeking out the strange and mysterious.

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As one of the three big “phosphate rocks” of the Pacific, (Banaba in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia being the other two), the island was a remote peaceful paradise until it was discovered by the Europeans in the late 18th century.

Germany took control towards the end of the 19th century, and it wasn’t long after this that phosphate deposits were discovered that would transform the fortunes for the island and its inhabitants forever.

Boom Time on Nauru

Nauru was covered with a thick layer of guano. The geological impact of a millennia’s worth of sedimentary bird droppings was both a blessing and a curse for the island.

The high level of phosphorus found in Nauru guano was the perfect raw material for fertilizers and explosives. Guano mining became very lucrative as a result, with the German’s extracting tons of it during the Great War.

After WW2 (and a short spell under Japanese rule) the colony changed hands and became a joint British, Australian, and New Zealand territory, (in the 1960s it passed into sole Australian ownership)

The mining continued, however. The business was so successful that by the mid-twentieth century, Nauru had the highest per capita income in the world.

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Bust time on Nauru

The level of guano extraction was not sustainable in the long term. After almost a hundred years of exploitation, the phosphate reserves were almost stripped from the island completely. In 2000 all mining stopped.

Furthermore, the strip-mining process involved with the extraction had decimated the landscape.

80% of Nauru is now a barren, post-apocalyptic wasteland. Dry and desolate with jagged limestone peaks that were in some places up to 15 meters (49 feet) high, the island became a hostile, eye-sore of a place to live.

Tourism was limited, and with the income from the mining over (and severe mismanagement of the funds that had previously been made), the country’s economy collapsed.

Huge unemployment followed and social and health problems are rife. Nauru currently has one of the highest diabetes rates in the world and the once record per capita GDP is now one of the lowest.

Where is Nauru Island?

Nauru is very remote. Situated in the middle of the Pacific Ocean it is over 2000 miles (3200 km) from the Australian mainland.

Visiting Nauru Today

The current situation for Nauru remains bleak. With a population of about 10,000 and only a 150-meter-wide strip of fertile land along its shores, the future holds little promise.

Recent money-making plans with other countries (one of which saw the island becoming a tax haven) were met with international regulatory concerns.

After this, Nauru showed greater desperation in the need to earn an income; it opened its doors to Australia in order to become a detention center for asylum seekers.

This has seen local population growth in the form of Iranian and Afghan refugees unable to make an income, only adding to the island’s woes.

Suicides and crime have increased dramatically, alongside the level of desperation of the unfortunate souls that have ended up living on Nauru.

This of course makes it a potentially dangerous place for the average tourist (at the same time as being the proverbial carrot for the more adventurous dark tourist).

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Sights on Nauru island

The bleak, desolate landscape caused by phosphate mining is one of the main reasons a dark tourist would want to visit Nauru. The limestone pinnacles are a sight you will not experience anywhere else in the world.

The rundown nature of the residential areas is also darkly fascinating. Although visitors should be careful due to the high crime rates.

There are also a few remains left from the Japanese occupation during WWII.

Overall, you do have to be rather committed to checking out this unusual destination as getting there is not easy.

The one airline that flies direct to Nauru from Australia is from Brisbane and the schedule is infrequent, (just twice a week). Once you land you will be forced to spend several days there before being able to catch a return flight back.

Good to know

The Menen Hotel is the best hotel on the island out of very slim pickings. Phone: +674 444 3300

Nauru Tourism Department can be contacted on +674 444 3081.

Featured Image: d-online / CC BY-SA

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I have an insatiable wanderlust for the extraordinary. Born with an adventurous spirit, I have spent over the past decade exploring the far reaches of our planet, seeking out the strange and mysterious.

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The villagers around Mount Tarawera on the on North Island did not stand a chance as boiling mud and hot springs tore through their settlements at the base of the volcano.

The village of Te Wairoa was completely destroyed, buried in volcanic mud.

Now, over 130 years later, the site is open to the public. Tourists can visit the buried village of Te Wairoa, where some areas of the submerged site have been excavated.

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History of Te Wairoa Village

The village of Te Wairoa was established in 1848 by the Revd Seymour Mills Spencer, a Christian missionary spreading the word of God to the local Māori population.

It was designed as a model European village and was a place where visitors would stay en route to visiting the Pink and White Terraces, (a natural wonder of New Zealand and once thought to be the largest silica sinter deposits on earth).

The village was located not far from the shore of Lake Tarawera, and for 45 years grew to become a bustling little pioneer village, with a thriving community that even had a meeting hall.

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The 1889 Mount Tarawera Eruption

Almost all of Te Wairoa village was consumed by the volcanic fallout. Buildings were instantly buried and the hot ash and mud that formed after the lava mixed with water killed anyone that could not escape its path.

Amazingly, one building did escape destruction however; the aforementioned meeting hall.

Known as the Hinemihi in Māori, it was positioned on a higher section of land. The few villagers that made it inside to take shelter also survived.

The life of the hall continues to this day. In 1891 it was purchased for £50 and transported to England by the 4th Earl of Onslow to be used as an ornamental garden building. The former Hinemihi has sat proudly in Surrey’s Clandon Park, ever since.

Up until recently, it was thought that the Pink and White Terraces were also obliterated in the eruption.

The strange geological system was one of New Zealand’s most significant tourist sights during the 19th century. However, the reshaped landscape after Mount Tarawera rained its fury, left no trace of the silica, two-toned wonder.

For years some believed that the terrace remains may exist within the depths of the crater lake. A theory proved true in 2011 after a team of researchers mapped the lake floor and discovered a part of the Pink Terraces at over 60 feet depth.

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Where is the Buried Village of Te Wairoa?

• Address: 1180 Tarawera Road, Rotorua 3076, New Zealand
• Directions: The site is located 14 kilometers southeast of Rotorua on Tarawera Road
• Opening times: 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
• Adult Admission: 27 NZD,
• Under 15s: 8 NZD.

Visiting the Buried Village of Te Wairoa Today

Sixty years after the eruption of Tarawera, the land in and around Te Wairoa was purchased and excavation began in efforts to find the lost village.

The search was successful, and today visitors can explore the 12-acre site which includes some of the ruins of the excavated village, an informative museum, and a life-size reconstruction of a pioneer-era cottage.

Recovered relics are on display in the museum, with artifacts from the disaster site and other historical items. It also contains a detailed history of the eruption and of the Pink and White Terraces.

A complimentary 30 minute-long guided tour can also be requested.

Featured Image: James Shook at en.wikipedia / CC BY 2.5

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Stew Baxter

I have an insatiable wanderlust for the extraordinary. Born with an adventurous spirit, I have spent over the past decade exploring the far reaches of our planet, seeking out the strange and mysterious.

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The place was the beautiful Montebello Islands off the north-west coast of Australia.

Three nuclear weapons tests were conducted by the British military and now it is possible to visit the islands and see the remains of the barracks as well as the actual test site.

For the intrepid dark tourist that not only finds themselves in this remote area of Australia but also has the time to take a boat tour out to the archipelago, the experience is truly worth it.

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A Short History of the Montebello Islands

Montebello is Italian for “beautiful mountain”, and what better place to tarnish with deadly nuclear fallout.

A total of 174 small islands make up the archipelago which lies approximately 81 miles off the Pilbara coast of Australia.

It is believed the indigenous Australians populated the islands until about 5,000 BC. However, rising sea levels led to the archipelago becoming farther from the mainland, which in turn forced the aboriginals to gradually abandon them.

Although an early European reference does appear in 1622 after an English ship named Tyrall was wrecked close by; (the charts would record the islands as the Tyral rocks for the next 180 years), it wasn’t until the early 19th century that the Europeans began to claim them.

In 1801 a French Navy exploration expedition sailed past and arrogantly began to name them after the nobility.

The crew, led by Captain Nicolas Baudin, named Hermite Island after Admiral Jean-Marthe-Adrien L’Hermite and Trimouille Island after a French aristocratic family.

Later, however, the British would claim sovereignty based on the proximity to Australia. The islands then enjoyed a period of economic significance due to the pearl fishing trade which lasted up until the outbreak of the Second World War.

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British Nuclear Weapons Tests

After the war and the shock of Hiroshima, western powers scurried to develop their respective nuclear armaments. For the British, the remoteness of the Montebello Islands was perfect for testing the technology.

This did make sense. The relatively small area of the UK did not provide anywhere far enough from settlements to detonate. So the Montebello Islands copped it instead.

A bay on Trimouille Island was chosen as the site of the first-ever atomic weapon tested by the British. Codenamed, “Operation Hurricane” detonation took place on the 3rd of October 1952.

The 25 kiloton device, similar in yield to the Fat Man Bomb the Americans released on Nagaski in 1945, was exploded inside a surplus warship.

Ready to up the ante in terms of devastation, British scientists returned to the Islands in 1956 with two more bombs. Detonated under the code name “Operation Mosaic“, the second of the bombs, named G2, was large enough to affect inhabitants on the Australian mainland.

As with American and Russian nuclear tests of the time, the fallout and the yield were much larger than predicted.

G2 had a yield of 98 kilotons and is reported to have contaminated locations as far away as the coast of Queensland; the opposite side Australia!

Where are the Montebello Islands?

How to get to the Montebello Islands

A number of fishing charter companies, as well as diving and safari tours, operate to and from the Montebello Islands.

Karratha city is a popular launching point from the mainland and a quick Google search will bring you a list of relevant services on how to get there.

Exmouth is another destination where you can find boat rental services and tours to the islands.

Be warned, if taking a vessel yourself the Islands are relatively remote (they were used for nuclear testing after all).

Navigation should only be attempted in favorable weather conditions. The boat should be suitably sized and your skillset and supplies adequate for the trip.

Visiting Montebello Islands Today

The Montebello Islands have now been declared a “Marine Park” by the Department of Environment and Conservation.

Incredibly, you can visit the sites of British nuclear testing, as long as you take the necessary care, (you have to love the laid back attitude of the Australians).

As the Parks Authority state on the website:

“As slightly elevated radiation levels still occur at test sites on Trimouille and Alpha Islands, visitors should limit visits to one hour per day. Do not disturb the soil and do not handle or remove relics associated with the tests.”

Remains of the British military presence can also be explored. Concrete bunkers and monitoring stations remain intact on some of the islands. You can also find roads and abandoned scrap metal from military equipment.

The former operational headquarters also still stands on the southern end of Hermite Island.

Beyond all of the exploration, you can also enjoy the natural beauty of the island and the relevant water sports and fishing.

There are barrier and fringing coral reefs, a huge variety of wildlife and maritime pleasures that all bring divers, snorkellers, fishers, and sea kayakers to this remote former military outpost.

Good to Know

If you plan on camping on the islands you can on Primrose, Bluebell, Crocus, Hermite & Renewal Islands (year-round).

Northwest Island is only available for camping between April-Sept as long as you are within 100m of the high tide mark. No pets or open fires are allowed.

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Stew Baxter

I have an insatiable wanderlust for the extraordinary. Born with an adventurous spirit, I have spent over the past decade exploring the far reaches of our planet, seeking out the strange and mysterious.

darktourists.com/