Yaren
Nauru · 4 sights · guided virtual tour, about 3 min
Welcome to Yaren, a district on the southern coast of the Pacific island nation of Nauru. Yaren is often called the capital, and it is the de facto capital, home to the country's government offices, although strictly speaking Nauru has no cities and no official capital. The district covers just 1.5 square kilometres and enjoys hot, humid weather all year round. Its former name, Makwa or Moqua, comes from Moqua Well, an underground lake that long supplied the island with drinking water. Let's set out to discover Yaren and the small island around it.
Sights
Moqua Well
Photo: Orthogonal · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsDescend with me below Yaren to the Moqua Well, a small underground lake. During the Second World War it was the main source of drinking water for the people of Nauru, and that is why this body of water is called a well rather than a lake. It even gave the district its old name. After a drowning in 2001, the authorities put up a fence to prevent accidents. Nearby, a series of caves known as the Moqua Caves stretches beneath Yaren.
Buada Lagoon
Photo: Lorrie Graham/AusAID · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsBefore you lies Buada Lagoon, the biggest and only true lake in Nauru. Despite its name, it is not really a lagoon at all, because it is not joined to the sea, though its fresh water is slightly brackish. Freshwater is rare here: Nauru has no rivers or streams, so this landlocked lake and the hidden Moqua Well are precious. For centuries islanders raised milkfish in the lagoon for food. The practice was given up in the 1960s, but there have been efforts to revive it.
Command Ridge
Climb with me to Command Ridge, considered the highest point of Nauru at 65 metres above sea level. During the Second World War, Nauru was occupied by the Japanese, and this ridge held their communications bunker. Look around and you will find remnants still in place, including rusted guns and artillery. Step into the bunker itself and you can still see Japanese writing on its walls.
Anibare Bay
Photo: Hadi Zaher from Melbourne, Australia · CC BY 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsOur tour ends at Anibare Bay on Nauru's eastern side, with a beach more than two kilometres long. Its graceful curve has a dramatic origin: the bay was formed when the east side of the volcano beneath Nauru collapsed underwater and a huge arc-shaped block slid away. The bay is popular with visitors and naturalists, but take care, as heavy surf and rip currents can make it dangerous. Above it rise wooded cliffs holding the island's richest remaining native vegetation, recognised as an Important Bird Area.
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