Nahpali is a long, narrow reef island running roughly northeast-southwest and located northeast of Temwen Island in Madolenihmw Municipality. The island is privately owned by the Senda family and has remained largely undeveloped. In 1836, a war that erupted between the crew of a visiting British whaleship, the Nahnmwarki (paramount chief of Madolenihmw), and a rival chief (the Wasai), spilled over onto the island. After the whaleship ran aground, its cargo was transferred to Nahpali, where it was later stolen by the brother of the Nahnmwarki, called Nahnawa. The whalers and Nahnawa’s men fought on the island, where Nahnawa temporarily got the upper hand and killed the captain of the ship and three others. Eventually however, with the help of the Wasai, who was based on Na Island and coveted the Nahnmwarki title, the whalers overcame the Nahnmwarki and his brother and murdered them. During the 1930s, Nahpali was occupied by the Japanese military, which operated a gun battery and searchlight station near the northern end. Today, the island is forested and scattered with the remains of the gun stations and other Japanese structures, including water storage tanks and steps that once led up to an elevated wooden barracks (now long gone). All of the suitable camping areas lie on the western and northern coasts and the swimming and snorkeling is all along the reef wall west of the island, while the eastern side descends into impassable mangrove swamps.
Attractions
110 cm Searchlight
As part of their fortification of Nahpali, the Japanese mounted a 110 cm searchlight at the northeast end of the island, closest to the channel opening. They probably intended to use the light to spot enemy ships attempting to pass inside the reef, but it seems unlikely that they ever got to use it in battle. The May Day bombardment of Pohnpei by American warships focused primarily on the targets of highest import — Kolonia Town, Sokehs Mountain, and Lenger Island — and it’s doubtful that American vessels were anywhere near Nahpali. Allied bombers, however, may have played a part in the destruction of this piece of hardware. The searchlight drum now rests in the sandy shoals north of the concrete platform where it was originally installed. The platform is broken into several pieces, but it’s not clear whether the damage was caused by a bomb blast or just the action of tides, waves, and erosion over nearly 70 years. Other bits of the light are scattered around in the water nearby.
8 cm Gun Stations
Duane Denfeld’s 1979 archaeological overview of Pohnpei’s historical sites indicates four 8 cm gun stations on Nahpali (based on American intelligence gathered through aerial photography rather than an actual visit to the island). During our quick survey of Nahpali, we were only able to locate three of the stations and one of them was severely deteriorated. No guns remain, but the concrete defensive structures are still there — albeit very overgrown.
Other Japanese Structures
Most of the other structures found on the island are clustered around the west side. There’s a series of foundations that might have belonged to a barracks, several hulking cisterns of various types, and a diesel engine.
“Gateway Tree”
On the shore just south of the last Japanese structure is a huge tree shaped like an arched gateway. A portion of the tree seems to have bent over and made contact with the ground, where it put down more roots, forming an amazing piece of natural architecture.
Sandy Beaches
Beautiful stretches of fine copper sand are found on Nahpali’s northwestern and northern coasts. The beaches, however, do not extend all the way out to deep water, giving way instead to shoals of coral rubble and seagrass. The best beach is found where the coastline turns to the east near a pile of concrete slabs that might have been part of a wharf or coastal pillbox. Other ruined structures are scattered along the shore below the high-tide level. There is another smaller beach on the western coast at the southern end of the island.
Surfing
One of two surfable reef-breaks in the area lies on the edge of Kepidauen Deleur, northwest of Nahpali. Visit our surfing page for more details.
Pohnpei Adventures >> Islands >> Nahpali Island
