Things to Do in Tarawa in February

The Battle of Tarawa in November 1943 left Betio island with one of the highest concentrations of Pacific War relics anywhere. February's lower rainfall compared to January means ground between sites is slightly less waterlogged. Start early, before 8 AM. The concrete of the Japanese admiral's command bunker near the old wharf remains cool enough to touch. Light rakes low across pitted gun emplacements on Red Beach. The rusted turret of a Japanese Type 95 Ha Go tank sits half buried in sand near the causeway. Its armor plate warms by mid morning. You will smell salt, rust, and the faintly sweet decay of pandanus leaves composting around bunker walls. A knowledgeable guide is essential here. Most sites are unmarked and scattered across what is now a densely settled village. The coral rubble underfoot is sharp. Wear closed shoes. Allow three to four hours minimum. Carry at least two liters of water per person. The heat is relentless even under cloud cover.

The boat ride from South Tarawa across the lagoon to the northern islets takes about forty minutes in a small outboard. February's westerly winds tend to keep the lagoon surface manageable, though not always flat. North Tarawa is where Kiribati still looks the way it did fifty years ago. Thatched roof maneaba surrounded by coconut palms. Children diving off the reef edge. Cookfires smoking on the beach at dusk. The February breadfruit season means communal meals are generous. If invited to sit in the maneaba, wait until the unimane, the elder men, gesture you to a place. The smell of roasting breadfruit, smoky and faintly sweet like caramelized starch, mingles with salt air coming off the lagoon. Bring reef shoes for the landing. This usually means wading the last 15 metres (50 feet) through knee deep water over broken coral. Allow a full day.

At low tide, the reef flat extending seaward from Betio and along the ocean side of South Tarawa becomes a walkable limestone platform stretching hundreds of metres toward the reef crest. In February the water pooling in the reef channels is bathtub-warm, around 29°C (84°F), and the visibility inside the lagoon, while not quite as crystalline as the dry-season months of September or October, still runs 10 to 15 metres (33 to 49 feet) on calm mornings. The coral gardens on the lagoon side between Bairiki and Ambo host parrotfish, blacktip reef sharks in the deeper channels, and giant clams wedged into the coral heads, their mantles electric blue and green under the surface light. The reef flat itself is home to sea cucumbers, urchins, and the occasional octopus retreating into a crevice as your shadow passes. The sensation underfoot is ridged limestone, slippery with algae in places, warm from the equatorial sun. Go before 9 AM when the UV is slightly less punishing, and wear full-coverage reef shoes, not sandals.

February's westerly-wind pattern concentrates bonefish and milkfish in predictable channels along the lagoon flats, and joining a local fishing crew for a morning is one of the few experiences on Tarawa that simply cannot be replicated anywhere else. The method is often throw-net from waist-deep water, the weighted net flung in a perfect circle that slaps the surface with a sound like a wet sheet snapping in the wind. You will stand in water warm enough to forget it is there, the lagoon floor rippled sand between your toes, and watch fish being cleaned on the gunwale of the boat within minutes of the catch, the flesh pink and translucent, smelling of nothing but clean salt water. The boats are small aluminum skiffs with outboard motors, and shade is whatever hat you brought. Expect to be out from around 6 AM to 10 AM, which avoids the worst of the midday heat. This is not a charter-boat sport-fishing experience. It is subsistence fishing that happens to welcome an extra pair of hands.

The causeway connecting Betio on the western tip to Bonriki on the eastern end of South Tarawa stretches roughly 30 km (19 miles) along a narrow coral strip rarely wider than a few hundred metres. Cycling it in February means starting at dawn, around 6:15 AM, when the air is as cool as it gets, maybe 26°C (79°F), and the road is quiet except for the crowing of roosters and the slap of waves on the lagoon side. You ride with the ocean on your right and the lagoon on your left, and the contrast is striking: the ocean side is rough, the surf audible and constant, while the lagoon side is flat turquoise glass reflecting the undersides of clouds. The road surface varies from decent tarmac near Bairiki to potholed coral rubble near the outer villages, so a sturdy single-speed with fat tires is the right bike, not a road bike. Stop at the fish markets near Bikenibeu mid-morning, where the catch comes in still flapping and the sellers lay reef fish on pandanus leaves, their scales catching the light. You will be sweating within twenty minutes of starting regardless of the hour, so carry more water than you think you need.