Sights in Solomon Islands
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Langa Langa Lagoon
Scene: Langa Langa Lagoon at dusk. Close up: you're sipping a glass of bush lime on your private terrace at Serah's Lagoon Hideaway, while a small fleet of traditional canoes is gliding past on the calm waters just in front of your bungalow. Soundtrack: hauntingly beautiful chants resonate from nearby villages. Paradise.
This is undisputedly one of Malaita's highlights. Extending from seven to 32km south of Auki, the lagoon is famous for its artificial islands, particularly Laulasi, Alite and Busu. Langa Langa Lagoon is a strong centre for traditional activities, especially shell-money making. It's also renowned for shipbuilding. The only thing that might mar the…
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Lake Te'Nggano
At 130 sq km, Lake Te'Nggano, in the southeast of Rennell, is the South Pacific's largest expanse of fresh water. The lake is the old lagoon floor and the tall cliffs that surround it are the old reef. Its western end has 200-odd coral islets and swamps. Four villages lie along the shore, including Te'Nggano, the subprovincial headquarters.
Several bird species are endemic to Rennell, including the Rennell fantail and the rare Rennell white spoonbill. There are at least eight subspecies that have been identified. Dawn and dusk see great flocks of frigate birds, cormorants and boobies circling over Lake Te'Nggano. The unique Rennellese orchid is also beautiful.
Despite the…
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Riba Cave
An hour's walk east of Auki is Riba Cave, but you can make it shorter by taking a taxi then walk the final stretch (about 20 minutes) down to the entrance. It's a haunting cave, with stalagmites, several large subterranean chambers and an underground river. Caveat: it's very slippery. Take a powerful torch (flashlight) and wear sturdy walking shoes.
You'll need a guide to visit Riba Cave, which is on private land and difficult to find. Contact Silas Diutee Malai (tel: 40389), a freelance guide who charges. Make sure that kastom fees are included in the prices he quotes. He can also arrange cross-island treks and 'river drifting' on a tyre down the Fiu River.
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Kwaibala Waterfall
If you need to refresh yourself, nothing can beat Kwaibala Waterfall, about 3km from the centre. Take a taxi to the Kwaibala River; from there, a 25 minutes' walk will bring you to the falls. Niagara-like thundering falls they ain't; expect modest cascades with a few pools where you can take a bracing dip.
You'll need a guide to visit Kwaibala Waterfall, which is on private land and difficult to find. Contact Silas Diutee Malai (tel: 40389), a freelance guide. Make sure that kastom fees are included in the prices he quotes. He can also arrange cross-island treks and 'river drifting' on a tyre down the Fiu River.
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Bird island
Guesthouses at Lake Te'Nggano can organise excursions on the lake. Regular stops include Octopus Cave, a spooky cave on the north shore, and a visit to Bird island , where hundreds of cormorants, boobies and frigates nest year-round. It's a fascinating sight. Your guide might well climb up a tree to catch a cormorant or two for your dinner (not for the squeamish). Lake Te'Nggano is not really a suitable place to get wet. There's no beach, and only Brits could don their swimming suits and bathe in the milky, pea-green waters. The only place that's suitable for a dip is Octopus Cave, which has limpid waters.
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Artificial Islands
One of Malaita's features is the large number of artificial islands, particularly in Langa Langa and Lau Lagoons. Some of these islands date from the 1550s and new ones are built each year. Stones and dead corals from the lagoons are piled on a sand bar or reef, then sand is spread around, houses are built and coconut palms are planted. The islands serve a dual purpose: protection from head-hunters and freedom from mosquitoes.
The largest islands exceed 1 sq km in size and can be very crowded; some are surrounded by a coral wall. Most, however, are tiny.
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Central Market
While Honiara won't be mistaken for Dakar, the bubbling Central Market assails your senses. The country's principal food market covers a whole block between Mendana Ave and the seafront. It has a huge selection of fresh produce, especially fruits and vegetables, that come from outlying villages along the northern coast and from Savo island. Also on sale are crafts such as Malaitan shell money, souvenir shells and jewellery. The fish market is at the back (follow your nose).
There's no bargaining, and there's no hassling to buy anything. Utter bliss.
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Auki
Curled around a wonderfully shaped bay and surrounded by jungle-clad hills, laid-back Auki is a delight to approach by sea. Otherwise Auki is a nondescript little port town, with a few low-slung buildings that aren't going to capture many hearts on their own. Luckily the sea lapping its shores and houses on stilts offer something to please the eyes. Wandering its quiet streets, you wouldn't guess it's the Solomons' third-largest town; everything moves slowly except at the lively market and the bustling wharf, at the town's southern end.
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Lake Te'Nggano
At 130 sq km, Lake Te'Nggano the southeast, is the South Pacific's largest expanse of fresh water and feels like an untouched paradise. The lake is the old lagoon floor and the tall cliffs that surround it are the old reef. Its western end has 200-odd coral islets and swamps. Four villages lie along the shore, including Te'Nggano, the subprovincial headquarters. It's famous for its abundant bird and marine life, including tilapia, giant eels and sea snakes.
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National Parliament
See the conical-shaped concrete building perched on the hill above Hibiscus Ave? It's the National Parliament. Watching proceedings from the public gallery (take the eastern entrance) can be fun if you happen to be in town at the right time (one-week sessions are usually held every other month). Inside, the dome boasts a rich tapestry of traditional art, including arching frescoes. Opened in 1993, the building was funded by the USA.
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Holy Cross Catholic Cathedral
On Sunday, masses of well-dressed Honiarans attend morning church services. Most churches have several services on this day, usually lasting an hour and conducted in English, so you have no excuse not to repent your sins. Visitors are welcome to attend, but make sure you dress modestly. The most prominent religious building is the Holy Cross Catholic Cathedral, perched on a hill to the east of the centre.
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Kolombangara
A perfect cone-shaped volcano that rises to 1770m, Kolombangara looms majestically on the horizon, due east of Ghizo island. It's a two-day hike to the top and back. It rises from a 1km-wide coastal plain through flat-topped ridges and increasingly steep escarpments to the rugged crater rim of Mt Veve. Logging has been a major activity, with Ringgi being the main settlement, on the south coast.
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US War Memorial
As it leaves Honiara, Skyline Drive overlooks the Mataniko River, providing a breathtaking view of village life below it. Enjoy it from the US War Memorial, a compound of marble slabs bearing detailed descriptions of battles fought during the Guadalcanal campaign. It was unveiled on 7 August 1992, the 50th anniversary of the US beach landings. It's a steep 30-minute walk up from Mendana Ave.
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Reoka hot springs
The island has a number of hot springs and thermal areas containing boiling mud pools. The most easily accessible are Reoka hot springs, which can be reached after a one-hour walk following the course of the Kolika River upstream - a very scenic walk in a tropical setting. The final stretch is a bit tricky; you'll have to clamber in parts. The water bubbling up is hot enough to poach an egg.
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megapode field
Make sure you see the megapode field which extends for around 400m along the beach, to the northwest of Savo. During the night, hundreds of female birds come to the field and dig down to about 90cm, where the temperature is ideal to incubate their eggs. Come very early as the birds fly off once the villagers come to harvest the eggs, which are considered a local delicacy.
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Lilisiana
Auki is more a place to experience than a succession of tourist sights, but there's actually a smattering of natural sights outside town that will keep you entertained. One definite must-see is the friendly fishing village of Lilisiana, about 1.5km from the centre. With its traditional-style houses raised on stilts over the shore, it's photogenic to boot.
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Mataniko Falls
The spectacular double-sided Mataniko Falls thunder into a cave full of stalagmites, swooping swallows and bats. During WWII, the cave was a hide-out for Japanese soldiers trying to avoid capture by the Americans. The trail on the way is often steep, and you might do better with a guide after Tuvaruhu (ask at the visitor information centre in Honiara).
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World Fish Centre
The only place that could qualify as a sight is World Fish Centre, on Nusatupe island (Gizo's airstrip). This clam farm and research centre run by a New Zealand couple accepts visitors. There's a small visitor centre with information on research programs. It's a good spot if you want to snorkel over giant clams of up to 1m long in the lagoon.
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National Museum & Cultural Centre
The modest National Museum & Cultural Centre has only one room featuring displays and old photographs on traditional dance, body ornamentation, currency, weaponry and archaeology. Behind the main building there are eight traditionally constructed houses, each from a different province, as well as a few boldly carved wooden statues.
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Malu'u
The 'north road' leaves Auki and follows the coast from Sisifiu to Sisolo, providing lovely sea views. Long stretches of white-sand beach line the shore. The welcoming subprovincial headquarters of Malu'u is an obvious stop between Auki (four hours over 82km of passable road) and Lau Lagoon at the 'head road' two hours away.
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Market
Apart from a few churches and a handful of mildly interesting memorials, there's little to see in Gizo. Go to the market and soak up the atmosphere. Villagers from neighbouring islands (and even from the Shortland Islands) arrive each morning by boat to occupy their little stands under the shade of tall trees.
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National Museum & Cultural Centre
Located in Honiara's town centre, this museum focuses on traditional culture and houses displays on dance, body ornamentation, currency, weaponry and archaeology. Behind it are eight traditionally constructed houses, each from a different province. There's also a small shop that sells traditional artefacts.
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White River Village
Betel nut, anyone? The friendly Gilbertese settlement called White River Village about four km west of the centre is mostly famed for its betel nut market. Wooden stalls selling the much sought-after commodity are lined cheek-by-jowl along the main road.
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Osi Lake
Beside Lilisiana beach is Osi Lake. With its murky water, it's not really a place to don your swimming kit and get wet, but it's a nature-lovers' paradise, home to colonies of seabirds. You might be asked to pay a kastom fee.
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Ranongga
Unfortunately the reefs off Ranongga, which were once ranked among the most spectacular in Western Province, were uplifted during the tsunami in 2007 and lost much of their appeal.
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