Nauru is the poor little rich kid of the Pacific. Seemingly limitless mining proceeds have made Nauruans the wealthiest people in the Pacific, but at various stages in their history people, culture, forest, soil and then subsoil have been stripped or shipped away at the whim of foreign powers.

Exploitation has become an art form. The bird poop that was the island has been an economic boon to islanders, but Nauru's interior could now only be described as an 'ecological basket case'.

Island culture has been assaulted by the weight of imported customs, junk food, fridges, televisions and electric cookers, but it does survive in a modified form. Nauru is not geared up for tourism, and the settlements offer little to the traveller, but that is likely to change once the phosphate bubble bursts in a few years. A colourful reef dotted with WWII sunken wrecks surrounds the island, the waters make great diving and the sport fishing is incomparable.

Yaren is understandably low on most travellers’ agendas, but the beaches aren’t far away, and neither is the open ocean if you’re planning a deep-sea fishing trip. You can while away a few minutes by looking at the two Japanese guns and the numerous bunkers and pillboxes left after WWII.

You could also walk around the machinery dump, or sit in your hotel room and watch Television New Zealand. The hotel does have a bar, casino, shopping and a restaurant serving Thai, Chinese and Indian food. For conference junkies, there’s a conference room that seats 200 people.

Anibare Bay is Nauru’s best beach, but be a little cautious because the currents can sometimes be dangerous. It has a lot of sand, equatorial sun and shady palm trees.