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…
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New Caledonia is divided into three provinces – the North Province, the South Province, and the Loyalty Islands Province. Our first outer-island trip to…
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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…
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One of the top tourist spots near Noumea is the famous Phare Amédée: the Amédée Lighthouse. This lighthouse was first built in Paris in…
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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….
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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…
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Our first night in New Caledonia was almost one year ago: the sky was sunset pink, coconut trees swayed in the February winds, the…
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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…
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Shell money is a currency made of shell that is used in the Solomon Islands. Although its use started in Malaita Province, it is…
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If you want an easy weekend getaway from Honiara, Maravagi Resort on Mangalona Island in the Central Islands is a great option.
✔ Nice beach
✔…
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#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….
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Signs are rare in the Solomon Islands as are advertisements for local attractions. Naturally we were surprised to see both of them in the…
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Our next stop in Marovo Lagoon was Minado Eco Lodge, about twenty minutes down the lagoon from Driftwood, located on a small island 2…
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Out of the misty haze, Bunikalo Port was a sight for weary eyes. We were looking forward to three nights in a soft bed…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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In Honiara, one of our favourite cultural practices is the vehicle sticker. No vehicle here is complete without its own gawdy sticker and the…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Before coming to the Solomon Islands, the longest distance Nid had ever ran in a single stint was 2 km, which would have to…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Hawksbill turtles are one of the most critically endangered sea turtles in the world. We went to one of the few places where they…
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I spent my first year in Honiara, my second in New Zealand, and my third on a random island called Tulagi where Dad had…
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In the Sollies the variety of bananas knows no bounds. There are bananas that you can eat right away and then there are cooking…
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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…
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The problem with street signs in the Solomon Islands is that there aren’t any.
Ok, that may be exaggerating – there are at least…
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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…
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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…
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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,…
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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….
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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…
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One of the most popular walks in Honiara, due to its draw of being able to tube down the river, is Mataniko Falls.
This…
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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…
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I hate driving. In fact, I was sitting on my restricted licence for about five years and only got my full licence only one…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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For the past few weeks I have been helping to fundraise for the building of a block of classrooms for Mercy School in Burns…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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:…
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Diving in the Solomon Islands is like going to scuba Disneyland. Not only does the Solomons have some of the most biodiverse marine life…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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Catching the bus to get around the city is a cheap and easy way to get around town. They are safe enough as long…
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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…
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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,…
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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,…
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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…
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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…
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Stori time at the office is not only a good chance for gossip, but also a good way for learning the lay of the…
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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…
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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…
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My dad told us that if there was one club in the Solomon Islands that we had to try it was Honiara Hash House…
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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,…
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We lucked out on the language front here in Honiara. Although there are about 60 to 70 languages in the Solomons, the only ones…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…
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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…