About 25km from Honiara, a turn to the south from the coastal road brings you to this great open-air museum. Here there are US, Japanese, Australian, Fijian and New Zealand memorials, four large Japanese field guns and the remains of several US and Japanese aircraft, including a Betty bomber, a Lightning fighter and a Wildcat fighter whose wings can still be folded as they were for naval carrier-borne operations.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
14.9 MILES
While Honiara won't be mistaken for Lagos, the country’s bubbling principal food market covers a whole block between Mendana Ave and the seafront. It has…
6.54 MILES
About 12km west from Honiara, Bonegi is music to the ears of divers, snorkellers and sunbathers. Two large Japanese freighters sank just offshore on the…
14.98 MILES
This superb memorial is a five-minute taxi ride from the centre. The well-maintained compound has marble slabs bearing detailed descriptions of battles…
29.84 MILES
A few metres before reaching the shore of Tetere Beach, a dirt track to the west leads to 30 or more abandoned amtracks (amphibious troop carriers). Many…
17.16 MILES
One of the star attractions in Honiara’s hinterlands is Mataniko Falls, which feature a spectacular thundering of water down a cliff straight into a…
21.24 MILES
From Henderson airport, a track leads south to this area that's also called Edson's Ridge, after Edson's Raiders. Commanded by Colonel Merritt Edson, they…
21.78 MILES
At 63m, these waterfalls are spectacular. They are a fairly easy four-hour walk (return) from a tiny settlement about 2km south of Tenaru Village. It's…
17.19 MILES
The road to Mt Austen begins in Kukum and climbs up to the historical sites where Japanese troops doggedly resisted the US advance. About 3.5km from the…
Nearby attractions
6.42 MILES
Just across the road from Bonegi beach, there’s a bush track that heads inland and runs about 400m to a rusty US Sherman tank called Jezebel which was…
6.54 MILES
About 12km west from Honiara, Bonegi is music to the ears of divers, snorkellers and sunbathers. Two large Japanese freighters sank just offshore on the…
7.18 MILES
About 40km from Honiara is this timeless hamlet blessed with a majestic setting – it's wedged between the sea and a soaring, velvet-green hill. Soak up…
8.98 MILES
Turtle Beach is an appealing strip of white coral sand fringed with coconut trees.
10.41 MILES
Popular with locals and expats at weekends, this beach has black sand and is OK for swimming and bathing.
13.78 MILES
These lovely grounds on the hills located above the city provide a green haven for nature lovers.
14.33 MILES
This modest museum – there is only one room – features interesting displays and old photographs on traditional dance, body ornamentation, currency,…
14.53 MILES
The conical-shaped concrete building that’s perched on the hill above Hibiscus Ave is the National Parliament. Inside, the dome boasts a rich tapestry of…