Honiara

Guadalcanal was a quiet colonial island until Japan built an airfield on the northern plain in 1942. The Allies saw that a Japanese bomber base here would threaten the sea lanes to Australia and New Zealand, and on 7 August 1942 US Marines landed to seize it. They named it Henderson Field, after a Marine pilot killed at Midway, and the name survives today in the airport at Honiara.

The campaign that followed lasted six months. On the ground there were attacks and counter-attacks on the ridges south of the field, including the Battle of Edson's Ridge (Bloody Ridge) on 13 to 14 September 1942. At sea there were several naval battles in the channel north of the island, so many ships sank that the water became known as Ironbottom Sound. In the air, planes based at Henderson Field, known as the Cactus Air Force, helped hold the island.

Japanese forces withdrew in early February 1943, after heavy losses on both sides. Thousands of Americans, Japanese, Australians, New Zealanders, Fijians and Solomon Islanders were killed. Local scouts and coastwatchers, such as Jacob Vouza, played a decisive role in guiding and warning the Allies. Solomon Islanders served as scouts, carriers and labourers, and many villages were caught in the fighting.

The war left the island with wreckage and remains. Ships such as the Japanese transports beached at Bonegi in November 1942 can still be seen; aircraft and guns lie in the bush; and unexploded bombs and shells are still found. Never touch old munitions, and report finds to the police or your guide.

For a visitor, the places to see are the American War Memorial on the ridge, the Bonegi wrecks, the National Museum, the Vilu village museum and, with a guide, the ridge where the Marines held their line. Read a short account before you go, and go early: the sites are open, hot and quiet.

Almost all land in Solomon Islands is held under customary ownership, passed down through family or clan lines rather than sold on a market. That means the beaches, reefs, rivers and ridges around Honiara have owners, and visitors are guests. Villages ask for a small fee for access to a beach, a waterfall or a war site, and it is normal and legitimate: pay it, and thank them.

Kastom, in Pijin, is the whole body of customs: land tenure, chiefly authority, exchange, dances, rituals and taboos. It varies by island and language group. Shell money, made from small discs of shell and strung on cords, is still used for bride price, compensation and exchange, and is one of the treasures of the National Museum.

The wantok system ("one talk", people who speak your language) is the network of kin and language that carries obligations of hospitality and support. It explains why family members share food, money and housing, and why a person's first duty is to their wantoks. It also shapes politics and jobs, which is one reason why the tensions between people of different islands in Honiara have been sharp.

Christianity is deeply part of life: the main denominations are Anglican, Catholic, South Sea Evangelical, Seventh-day Adventist and United, and Sunday is a day for church and rest. Custom and church often sit together: a feast, a funeral or a dance can mix both.

As a visitor, dress modestly, ask before you photograph people or enter land, accept a small fee gracefully, and take your time with greetings. Buy crafts from the makers, and do not buy shells, turtle shell or carvings that may be restricted, and check the export and import rules first.

Finally, keep small notes ready for fees and gifts, and ask your driver or hotel how the local arrangements work before you set out. A respectful visitor who greets people first, dresses modestly and asks before photographing will find most doors open, and will leave a little money in the right hands.

Honiara is easier to understand from the market than from any museum. The Central Market at Point Cruz opens at dawn, with women from the villages selling fish, taro, cassava, sweet potato, bananas, coconuts and greens, and the town buying its food. It is loud, hot and crowded, and it is the best place to see how the city feeds itself.

The staple foods are root crops and fish. Taro and sweet potato are boiled or roasted, cassava is grated and baked, and fish is grilled or cooked in coconut milk. A traditional dish is poi, a pounded pudding of taro or cassava with coconut and nuts, often cooked in an earth oven for feasts. Kokoda, raw fish marinated in lime and coconut cream, is served in some hotels.

Chinese-style noodle shops and fried rice takeaways along the highway are a mainstay of the working city, a legacy of the Chinese community that settled here in the 20th century. Chinatown was the centre of that community and was burned in riots in 2006 and again in 2021, an episode people still remember with pain. Rebuilding is under way.

Betel nut (buai), chewed with lime and a leaf, is the local stimulant and a common sight. Its red spit stains the pavement, and selling it is a source of income for many women at the market. The local beer, Solbrew, is brewed in Honiara and sold in hotel bars and shops.

The harbour at Point Cruz is a working port, with cargo ships from Australia and Asia, and small boats carrying goods and people to the outer islands. Ask before photographing the port, and treat the yacht club as a place for a drink at sunset.

A practical tip for the market: go with small notes, take a bag, and buy a few things you can peel or cook. Ask the price for each item, say thanks in Pijin, and leave before the heat and the crowd build up at about ten in the morning; then take a cold drink in the shade.

Solomon Islands became independent from Britain on 7 July 1978. The new country inherited a colonial economy based on timber, fish, copra and palm oil, and a capital on an island whose original people, the Guadalcanal islanders, had long resented the number of migrants from other islands, especially Malaita, who had come to work and settle around Honiara.

That resentment turned violent in 1998, in a conflict known as the Tensions. Militants from Guadalcanal drove settlers from their land, Malaitan militias responded, and in 2000 the government was overthrown in a coup. For several years the state was close to collapse, and the economy shrank. In 2003, at the government's request, an Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission (RAMSI) arrived with police and soldiers from Pacific countries, and it restored order over the following years, leaving in 2017.

The peace has held, but tensions have returned at times. In April 2006, riots after an election destroyed parts of Chinatown. In November 2021, protests turned into riots again, with fires in Chinatown and other parts of Honiara. In 2019 the government switched recognition from Taiwan to the People's Republic of China, which was one of the causes of the political dispute. In 2023 Honiara hosted the Pacific Games, which brought new sports venues and international attention.

For a visitor the message is to take care rather than avoid the country. Check your government's travel advice before you book and again before you fly, avoid crowds, marches and demonstrations, and use a car after dark. Most visitors stay in hotels in the centre and travel with drivers and guides, and report no problems.

The country continues to work on the economy, on services and on national identity. Tourism, especially diving, war history and remote lodges, is one of the industries with potential. A visit that uses local drivers, guides and lodges puts money where it helps.

Solomon Islands sits in the Coral Triangle, one of the richest marine areas on Earth, and around Honiara the sea is the main attraction. Reefs drop off close to the shore, and the channel between Guadalcanal and the Florida Islands holds dozens of wrecks from 1942. You can reach two of them, at Bonegi, from the beach.

The Bonegi wrecks are the remains of Japanese transports that ran aground or were bombed in November 1942 while trying to land troops and supplies. One lies partly above the surface, a few metres from the shore, and the other lies deeper. They are now covered with coral and fish, and are among the most accessible war wrecks in the world. Snorkelling is good on a calm morning, and diving is possible with an operator.

The wet season, from November to April, brings heavy rain, humidity and the risk of cyclones. Flights may be delayed, roads may flood, and boats may not run. The dry season, from May to October, is cooler and drier, with clear water and the best conditions for diving and road trips.

The heat is the constant. Temperatures are 30 to 31 degrees all year, with very high humidity, so the day runs on the morning: sights and markets before 10:00, a rest in the middle of the day, and a walk or a drink in the evening. Bring water, sun protection, repellent and a hat.

Health advice matters: malaria and dengue are present, tap water is not for drinking, and medical facilities are limited. Take advice before you travel, carry insurance with evacuation cover and follow local advice on where it is safe to swim. Land and reefs are customary property, so ask before you enter the water from a village beach.

A final planning note: book dive and snorkel trips with an operator who gives a briefing and carries safety gear, ask locals before you swim off a village beach, and keep a spare day in the dry season in case wind or rain closes the sea.