See you in Lifou

New Caledonia is divided into three provinces – the North Province, the South Province, and the Loyalty Islands Province. Our first outer-island trip to…

Learning French is Crei

In New Caledonia, there are 20-something Kanak languages that did not make the cut of being the official language in New Caledonia. This may…

Finding ze glise

One of the top tourist spots near Noumea is the famous Phare Amédée: the Amédée Lighthouse. This lighthouse was first built in Paris in…

Paradise Confined

Life in New Caledonia has been the closest to paradise we’ve ever had, because it’s literally their slogan and who are we to argue….

Isle of Fine Pines

You know where you should visit in New Caledonia? 

Isle of Pines.

It is, after all, the second best place to visit in New Caledonia on…

Almost one year later: New Caledonia

Our first night in New Caledonia was almost one year ago: the sky was sunset pink, coconut trees swayed in the February winds, the…

Lukim iu Bihaen

Dear Solomon Islands

We’ll never
forget you, but we have to move on.

It wasn’t
you, it was us. 

Actually, no, it was you. 

Why did you have to be…

Shelling out Shell Money

Shell money is a currency made of shell that is used in the Solomon Islands. Although its use started in Malaita Province, it is…

Maravagi Sunsets

If you want an easy weekend getaway from Honiara, Maravagi Resort on Mangalona Island in the Central Islands is a great option.

✔ Nice beach

✔…

Diving Munda

#Magicalmunda, that’s their tagline. Located in Roviana lagoon in Western Province, Munda is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the Solomon Islands….

Poha

Signs are rare in the Solomon Islands as are advertisements for local attractions. Naturally we were surprised to see both of them in the…

Marovo Lovin’

Our next stop in Marovo Lagoon was Minado Eco Lodge, about twenty minutes down the lagoon from Driftwood, located on a small island 2…

Marovo Drifting

Out of the misty haze, Bunikalo Port was a sight for weary eyes. We were looking forward to three nights in a soft bed…

Ferry Naf

Taking the passenger ferry was one of those bucket list items that we didn’t really want to do, but felt like we probably try…

Hideaway in Langa Langa

Serah’s Hideaway is a smol but lovely lodge smack dab in the middle of Langa Langa Lagoon, Malaita.

Langa Langa Lagoon, or “Triple L” as…

Kwaio Krismas

Two days before Christmas we were at the domestic airport with our frens Ben and Barbara, and Ben’s parents, waiting for our flight to…

Pimp your Ride

 In Honiara, one of our favourite cultural practices is the vehicle sticker. No vehicle here is complete without its own gawdy sticker and the…

Concerning Fern

Fern is sold by the bunches at the market and most commonly transformed into Fern Salad. So common, we’ve never seen it served in…

How to Import a Car to the Solomon Islands

We threw the towel in, sold our old hunk of junk and imported a new car. Worth it? Completely.

Cars that come to Honiara have…

There’s always money in the banana stand

Solomon Islands boasts some of the most delicious bananas we’ve ever eaten and there are over 200 varieties to try.

Coming from a country…

Visiting Vilu

Vilu War Museum is an open-air museum displaying one of the biggest collections of World War II artefacts in Solomon Islands. These artefacts, mostly…

Trying Tri Club

Before coming to the Solomon Islands, the longest distance Nid had ever ran in a single stint was 2 km, which would have to…

Aunties discover a new way to use sanitary pads (and you won’t believe what happens next!)

Apostolic Jerusalem Anointing Oil, step aside. There’s a new kid on the block.

We were at the market this morning looking for coconut oil when…

Pack list for the Sollies

Moving to the Solomon Islands and wondering what to pack? Now that we’ve been here for a year we feel like we can pass…

View from Visale

Visale is a great day trip out of Honiara. A nice spot for snorkeling, picnicking, camping and climbing up.

Koli Point Action

We recently discovered yet another cool World War II site in Guadalcanal, this time by pure chance.

During the recent Melanesian Art Festival, we met…

Turtling in the Arnavon Islands

Hawksbill turtles are one of the most critically endangered sea turtles in the world. We went to one of the few places where they…

Tulagi Memories

I spent my first year in Honiara, my second in New Zealand, and my third on a random island called Tulagi where Dad had…

Budi Chips with Guale Salsa

In the Sollies the variety of bananas knows no bounds. There are bananas that you can eat right away and then there are cooking…

Welcome to Nugu Beach Resort

Nugu Beach Resort is a bungalow resort set on a postcard-perfect Pacific beach.

And that’s about it. We say that early on in this piece…

Where’s my house again?

The problem with street signs in the Solomon Islands is that there aren’t any.

Ok, that may be exaggerating – there are at least…

Baywatch: Simon

A dug-out canoe comes towards us with a tall, lanky man and three pikinini.

Patrick, our boatman, turns the banana boat off, and we slow…

Finding Tank Beach

It takes two hours to drive to Tetere. It doesn’t actually, but that’s how long it took us to drive there.

We started off with…

Dan and Nid move house

We’ve moved house and we love it.

Our house is purple. PURPLE! We’re closer to town, our work commute is only ten minutes not thirty,…

Dakini Tangarareh

If you visited Solomon Islands in 2017 you would have heard Jaro Local’s Dakini Tangarareh blaring back to back from every shop in town….

How to licence a car in the Solomon Islands

The easy part was getting a Solomon’s driver’s licence. The hard part is getting a car licenced (i.e. for New Zealanders – getting your…

Tubing Mataniko

One of the most popular walks in Honiara, due to its draw of being able to tube down the river, is Mataniko Falls.

This…

Bale tales

Ever wondered where all your clothes donations you chuck away go to? Two words: bale shops.

Bale shops in the Solomon Islands are second-hand clothing…

How to Get a Solomon Islands Driver’s Licence

I hate driving. In fact, I was sitting on my restricted licence for about five years and only got my full licence only one…

New Year Resolutions

We’re back! And what better way to start off the year than with some New Years resolutions. Yeah, we know it’s the end of…

Sorry, but not Sorry.

 In preparation for our five-week reintegration into New Zealand society, we thought we’d better send out a warning and pre-apology for the misunderstandings, questionable…

Journey to the West: The Guadalcanal Coastal Walk

While Nid was in Auki last weekend for a week-long business trip, I spent the weekend with seven friends hiking the two-day Guadalcanal Coastal…

Fundraising for Mercy

For the past few weeks I have been helping to fundraise for the building of a block of classrooms for Mercy School in Burns…

Well, oil be damned.

Apostolic Jerusalem Anointing Oil: The oil you can buy in Honiara that heals everything.

An upturned rubbish bin with a poster plastered across it announces,…

Kakabona – not just Latin for good poop

We rocked up to Kakabona beach at 7:40 am with a crew of eight. The guide I prearranged, Peter, is nowhere in sight. The lady at a nearby betel stand is helpful and informs us, “Oh hem dringum tumas las naet.”

Malaitan Chilli Crab Recipe

The mud crabs we usually see at Honiara Central Market are from Malaita province with sellers coming to sell their catches on Saturdays. These crabs…

Lunching at Local Kai Bars in Honiara

My office doesn’t have a fridge or a microwave, and homemade lunch options like sandwiches, or crackers and tuna, get old quick.

Another hole in the fence

We came home tonight and spotted a new hole in our fence. That makes a total of five holes that you can see lined up…

Beating the Beetles

The Solomon Islands is currently under a biosecurity threat from the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle. As the name suggests, they are beetles with a horn with…

A Guide to Afternoon Tea in Nid’s Office

Having gone from a fast-paced, high-stress work environment to a sloth-paced, chill office, I go through some real lulls throughout the days here. Dealing…

What we’ve learnt about taxis

Taxis are another affordable way to get around town in the Solomon Islands. They’re a good option to get somewhere at night when buses…

Go lo Honiara Central Market

The biggest market in the Solomon Islands is Honiara Central Market. Out of interest, I read the reviews on Trip Advisor and they are scathing:…

Learning How to Scuba Dive in the Solomons

Diving in the Solomon Islands is like going to scuba Disneyland. Not only does the Solomons have some of the most biodiverse marine life…

Hiking Tenaru Falls

So far we’ve been pretty lucky in terms of organising weekend activities. If you can make enough enterprising friends, just sit back and wait…

An Homage to Tuna and Rice

Tuna and rice is a Jones family special and my earliest memories of family dinners are of tuna and rice.

What is it? White rice, a…

Savouring Savo

Savo is a small island we’ve looked at many times from our deck during our morning coffees wondering, “What’s over there?”

Our recent research expedition has…

The Bat Caves of Parisaia

Parangiju Lodge is about an hour’s drive from town where eight of us meet to do the Bat Caves walk. From here, we pick up…

Gnarly Ngali Slice

This is a good dessert slice for making me feel like I’m making healthy decisions.

It has ngali nuts, which are delicious, and uses up…

The Holiest of Holies

There is a hole in my fence.

A human-sized hole.

While Nid was taking pictures of the hole with my leg hanging through it for the…

Getting the Bus in the Sollies

Catching the bus to get around the city is a cheap and easy way to get around town. They are safe enough as long…

Betel nut, betel nut, betel nut.

The betel nut is a small nut that is chewed for its euphoric drug-like experiences. Every corner in the Solomon Islands seems to have…

Banana ice cream

I’ve seen a million of these recipes but have never tried it. I mean, I’m a New Zealander. We’re made up of 90% dairy,…

Getting a car

We’ve got a new old car!

Its name is Zamzam.

Zamzam has three doors, a functioning radio, and a speedometer that doesn’t work. Named, we are told,…

Slippery Cabbage and Coconut

Slippery cabbage is not our favourite but it’s the most commonly found green in the market so we thought we’d better post at least…

Scrashem Coconut like a Fruit Ninja

To make coconut milk you need a dry coconut.

Not the green/light brown ones that you can buy at swanky hotels, the dark and…

A Solomon Island’s Love Stori

Stori time at the office is not only a good chance for gossip, but also a good way for learning the lay of the…

It’s been a long time, without you my friend.

Today we had a celebratory flat white at Lime Lounge to mark our one-month anniversary. That’s right, they have flat whites here! The coffees…

Time goes by so slowly

Everyone in New Zealand has heard the term “island time”.

A term that is often used as an excuse for things that don’t run to…

Hash (the legal kind)

My dad told us that if there was one club in the Solomon Islands that we had to try it was Honiara Hash House…

Blast from the past

Some 30 years ago, Solomon Islands needed an accountant.

Dad applied for the job, got it, came here, and brought my mum along. While here,…

Mitufala toktok Pijin

We lucked out on the language front here in Honiara. Although there are about 60 to 70 languages in the Solomons, the only ones…

Game of Patience

Using the internet here is a constant test of patience and determination.

It is painfully slow to the point that it should be considered a…

Honiara’s First Lillipad

Yes, I actually made space for this in one of our seven suitcases and finally put it back together today.

Behold! Honiara’s first Lillipad!

I don’t…

First Impressions

We’ve passed the one-week mark and we’ve had a week of orientation. This has included one public holiday, one power-cut, and two water-cuts already…

Nid go lo ofis first time

After being told the office opens anytime between 8 and 8:30 am, I arrived at 8:30 am to find it devoid of life. I…

Dan go lo clinic first time

Since leaving New Zealand, I’ve been unwell.

I got off the plane with a splitting headache and still had it six days later. Real cool…

Home, Sweet Home

We’ve moved in already! Into a big wooden house on top of a hill. High enough to avoid flooding and tsunamis, solid-ish in case…

Dan and Nid go lo Solomon Islands

Our first blog post. Can’t believe we’re finally here.

From Auckland to Brisbane to Honiara, and seven suitcases in tow.

Hello Solomon Islands. Home for the…