Travel surveys that dare to place highly diverse destinations in league tables are always going to court controversy.

Credit: PNG TPA

The recent Tripadvisor poll of the Top 25 Beaches, based on reviews posted on the site, is no exception. The Australian press has been up in arms at how an obscure beach in chilly Wales could finish ahead of the likes of Bondi.

But the Pacific Islands actually fared much worse than Australia. While Whitehaven Beach in the Whitsundays was placed third, the closest the Pacific got (in what was a rather US-centric collection) was Ka’anapali Beach in Hawai’i.

How long before a beach in PNG features in a list like this? And which one might it be?

The arbitrary nature of such surveys is highlighted by comparing Tripadvisor’s verdict with that of CNN. The latter’s Top 50 has Matira Beach on Tahiti’s Bora Bora Island leading the way, while Champagne Beach on Vanuatu’s Espiritu Santo places a remarkable third.

Although Papua New Guinea and the Solomons are best-known for their diving rather than idyllic beaches, those who travel widely around them often claim to have visited beaches that are world class. If Vanuatu can make it onto the podium, how long before a beach in PNG features in a list like this? And which one might it be?

Rarar Island beach in Manus Province. Credit: Jaive Smare

According to PNG travel blogger Jaive, one of PNG’s best swimming beaches is Rarar Island off Lorengau in Manus Province. It may be off the beaten track these days but was designated as the playground of the American GIs massed on Manus during World War II (hence its name, stemming from their vernacular ‘R&R’).

Got a favourite beach?

Let us know about your favourite beaches around PNG and the rest of the Pacific in the comments below.