Island Hopping

Western Province

The Western province is an essential stop. The combination of pristine lagoons, prime dive sites and lush forests have immense appeal to visitors. The lagoons are a visual delight from the air and the combination of dark greens, white strips and light and dark blues is breathtaking. Often colloquially called "The West" the Western Province which has now become the country's hub for tourism, was formerly the largest administrative area in the Solomons with it's people describing themselves as westerners.

Western Province boasts thelargest salt water lagoon in the world, Marovo Lagoon.  Up to 16 resorts and eco-lodges are based there including the beautiful Uepi Island Resort.

In the 19th century the people of the Western Province specialty was head-hunting, and untouched skull shrines are readily accessible to all visitors.

Evidence of abandoned inland settlements such as standing stones, defensive walls, and house foundations, can be found throughout the area, but the interior has reverted to thick forest with most cultivation in shore side villages cooled by fresh breezes.

Guadalcanal Province

Guadalcanal, where the country's capital Honiara is located, is the largest island in the Solomons group. Honiara is the Solomons melting pot, where people from all over the country come to work, take their holidays, or just to shop.

The north coast is the hub of the nation. In contrast, the southern coast is much less accessible, and life moves slowly always dependant on the weather giving rise to its name "The Weather Coast". The main artistic products created in Guadalcanal are bukaware baskets, trays, bamboo panpipes, and lime containers.

Historically, it is believed that the island was first occupied 6,000 years ago, but European discovery was not until 1568 when the crew of a Spanish skiff first sighted Guadalcanal. In August 1942, the Americans landed on the island and the Guadalcanal Campaign was pivotal to the course of the war in the South Pacific.

East of the capital you will find Betikama High School, renowned for it's wonderful selection of wood carvings, handicrafts and WWII relics. Red Beach and Tetere Bay are scenes of the successful landing by the US Marines in 1942, the Oil Palm plantations and local villages. The road west takes you along the coast with stops to view the Japanese Memorial at Poha River, (Vilu Village Museum), Bonegi Beach, (a giant clam farm) and coconut plantations. Along the way pass Cape Esperance where 13,000 Japanese soldiers were evacuated.

Malaita Province

Of Malaita Province's 96,000 people, all but 2,000 are Melanesians. The remainder are Polynesians who live on the two atolls of Ontong Java and Sikaiana.

In the early 19th century foreigners were confronted by the ferocity of the Malaitan tribesmen in retaliation for black birding activities.

A very distinctive feature of Malaita Island is the large number of artificial islands, particularly in the Langa Langa and Lau Lagoons. These heavily populated islands were built on sandbars or exposed reefs by heaping boulders up until permanent landmass remained. These islands are now home to some 12,000 Malaitans in the Langa Langa and Lau Lagoons. Historically, sharks were often worshipped and a few Malaita Islanders still believe spirits reside in them. There are 15 tribal languages and dialect groups including 11,000 strong ancestor worshipping Kwaio tribe who live in the mountains along the east coast.

The small township of Auki has been the province's capital since 1920, and nowadays has a population of about 4,000 people and boasts a variety of shops, hotels and restaurants.

Isabel Province

The Spanish explorer Alvaro-de-Mendana sighted Santa Isabel in February 1568 and after anchoring in a harbour the following day, called it Estrella Bay, and Santa Isabel after the patron saint of his voyage.

Relationships between the Spaniards and the islanders were initially friendly and the visitors were impressed by the local chief who wanted to learn Spanish and promised to supply food in return.  However when insufficient supplies came, the Spaniards seized hostages to trade for extra food.  When violence ensured, together with the Spaniards disgust at the islanders' cannibalism and worship of lizards, snakes and crocodiles, this prompted them to depart after only two months.

During their stay, the Spaniards penetrated deep inland in search of gold, reaching Santa Isabel's central ridges with claims of some fraternization resulting in a smattering of Spanish blood in today's population which is more likely associated to past contacts with Polynesians.

The friendly "Thinking Rat" which lives at the top of tall trees, and eats nuts and fruits, is endemic to Isabel Province, although there is a related species in Guadalcanal.

The people of Isabel Province are Melanesians with 75% living in Santa Isabel's south eastern corner.  Tapa cloth is made locally from the bark of the paper-mulberry trees and tinted a light blue using a dye made from crushed orchid leaves.  Inheritance is matrilineal in Isabel Province, with ownership of land passed on through the mother. This system developed during headhunting days when women's lives were usually spared during raids.

Choiseul Province

Choiseul province's 16,000 Melanesian people live in the main island's western half and there are a further 2,000 Gilbertise living in Wagina.

Choiseul Bay, in the north-western part of the province is the provincial headquarters where one can take a canoe to visit waterfalls and the Sui River. Further north are attractive villages and a plantation with a large collection of Kesa money and ancient carvings.

Choiseul was traditionally called Lauru and much of the island's shoreline consists of long narrow beaches, some of which are bordered by large shallow freshwater marshes and ferns.

Occasionally the homes of saltwater crocodiles are extensive along the coast and in some isolated inland areas.

Although it had been comparatively quiet in WWII, there are several wrecked barges and aircraft in the shallow along the island's western coast.

In the 19th century, headhunting and slave-raiding parties from the New Georgia group regularly attacked the island and in 1916 there were ferocious tribal wars on Choiseul Island though these were brought under control by a peace treaty in 1921.  In the 1870's central Choiseul's chief evened the score by leading raids westwards and made forays against neighboring Wagina until it became totally uninhabited.

Rennell and Bellona Province

Traditionally known as Mu Nggaca and Mu Ngiki respectively, Rennell and Bellona Islands are Polynesian outliners sharing similar languages and cultures.  Because of its unique and specialised ecology, east Rennell has been made a national wildlife park and nominated for World Heritage listing. Historically, the Lapita people occupied Bellona briefly in about 1,000 BC with settlements on both islands following in around 130 BC, followed by another major occupation in about 1000 AD.  Rennell is sparsely populated for its size with only 1,500 inhabitants, whilst the smaller Bellona is home to approximately 1,500 people.  The people of both islands are skilled and inventive woodworkers and in pre-Christianity they wore tapa and were ornately tattooed.  Officially discovered in 1793 by Captain Benjamin Boyd in the merchant ship Bellona, the people of Rennell and Bellona speak similar Polynesian languages closely related to Maori.

Hetakai, which is the most traditional form of wrestling, involves males of all ages with two contestants competing at a time with the victor being the one who knocks down his opponent first and wins all his bouts.

Central Province

Central Province's 1,000 sq km comprises the islands of Savo, Russells and Nggela.

Suffering the same fate as many other Pacific Islands during the early days of black birding in the late 1860's, over 100 men were forcibly carried off to Queensland to become virtually slaves after the slaying of 18 others by black birders.  In the 1930's the secessionist Chair & Rule Movement from Santa Islabel became popular in the province when they experienced US wartime generosity, and along with some Malatians they tried to buy US rule and believing that they had bought a new government over the then ruling British Government.

The people of the Central Province have legendary tales of an early wild cannibalistic race called the Mumutabu, but nothing is known of their demise. Forehead discs similar to "kaps kaps" but called "birus" are produced from clam shells and are work on ceremonial occasions. Small model canoes and dog teeth necklaces are also made. The province's capital, Tulagi was established as the capital of the Solomons in 1897, only four years after the protectorate was proclaimed because of its central position in the archipelago and its deep water anchorage. In the early 1900s large Pacific trading companies had opened stores in Tulagi, and on 7th August 1942 forces landed on the island which was by then Japanese occupied.

Temotu Province

Formerly called the Eastern Outer Islands, Temotu Province with a total land surface of only 926 sq km scattered over a huge 150,000 sq km of ocean, lies at the Solomon's most easterly point.  It is a widely dispersed archipelago separated from the main mass of the country by the 600m deep Torres Trench. Made up of three island groups, the volcanically derived Santa Cruz Islands of Tinakula, Utupua, and Vanikoro are contrasted by low coral terraces and sandy atolls of the nearby Reef Islands and further east by the isolated extinct volcanoes of the Duff Islands, Tikopia and Anua islands. Traditionally there were extensive trade networks throughout the province, where Santa Cruz exported food, pigs and crafts in every direction, and red feather money to the Reefs and Duffs.

Settlement of Santa Cruz first took place around 1500 and 1400bc and the first European contact was made in 1595 by Spanish explorer Alvaro-de Mendana, after several skirmishes with the natives. The people of Santa Cruz Islands and the majority of the Reef Islanders are non Austronesian Papuan speaking like the people of Papua New Guinea, and differ linguistically from most other Solomon Islanders.

Makira, Ulawa Province

Makira, Ulawa and their seven small neighbors are sometimes called the Eastern Solomons, although Temotu Province is further east. The main island of Makira is 3,188 sq km with other islands within 32 km of its shores except for Ulawa, 75 km distant. The province with a population of 28,000 people is well known for it's preservation of ancient traditions with dancers in Star Harbour, Santa Ana, Santa Catalina, an Ulawa, being particularly skilled. The province's first inhabitants, the Lapita, settled on Makira Island from about 1400 BC where pottery has been found and although much of their past was violent there were also long periods of peace.

During such times ceramics were made and trade flourished between Makira and Ulawa and large canoes came annually from Temotu Province.  Two thirds of the Makira island's 22,500 pure Melanesian people live on the northern coast leaving much of the steep southern shore sparsely populated. Makira has more swamps than any other islands in the country.

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