Lae: Amelia Earhart's last stop

Second city of Papua New Guinea, Lae was the final stop of Amelia Earhart's flight before her disappearance over the Pacific in 1937.

A car with driver is recommended for moving around Amelia Earhart's final stopover before disappearance.

The Lae Botanical Garden, among the richest in the South Pacific, houses collections of orchids native to Papua gathered from across the island.

A few minutes away, the Commonwealth War Cemetery commemorates soldiers who died in the bloody campaigns of World War II in New Guinea.

Heading toward the historic airport, you observe the point from which Amelia Earhart took off for the last time on July 2, 1937, before disappearing over the Pacific Ocean.

In the evening, Lae's local markets bring to life the trade in agricultural products from the surrounding coffee and cocoa plantations.

Amelia Earhart and navigator Fred Noonan departed from Lae on July 2, 1937 bound for Howland Island, disappearing shortly after under circumstances that have never been fully clarified despite decades of research.

Lae, occupied by the Japanese during World War II and later retaken by the Allies in 1943 after fierce fighting, remains today Papua New Guinea's main commercial port.