Weather and general advice for a trip to the Solomon Islands

Hi, we are three friends traveling to the Solomon Islands for the first time next week. We have a night in Honiara before flying to Seghe the morning after. I've booked us a room at Chester resthouse and a night at Matikuri Lodge but have left the rest to see how we feel.

1) Is it possible to go into Honiara at the moment or should we stay at the airport for the night? Is Chester resthouse okay? And if we can get into Honiara, can you give an indication of taxi prices or public transport options?
2) How is the weather in the Seghe area at the moment? Is it wet/dry/hot/cold/day/evening?
3) The flight back from Seghe to Honiara is not convenient for our flight out of Honiara (and we're not too keen to spend much time in Honiara) - is there another airport we could fly back to Honiara from? We're happy to do some island hopping.

Thanks. Any advice is appreciated.

tskada

I'd hazard a guess and suggest you stay near the airport - until Honiara gets back to some semblance of normality anyway. From what I understand, hotels are operating but food is at a minimum, and (only my opinion) the locals' needs should come first. There is also the risk of disease, as the river that flooded Honiara is highly polluted and the sewer system broke down so the two have mixed. Malaria will probably be on the increase, along with Dengue Fever (they had a new strain last year that had never struck Solomons before and it killed a lot of people), and possibilities of other water-borne diseases. That shouldn't really affect you, though, but it's something to keep in mind.

Chester House is a great place to stay but you need to make bookings beforehand as it is very popular. I understand transportation from the airport into Honiara is around $100 SDB (roughly $14 AUD), or if you flag one down it's $10 SDB per kilometre. Very few taxis have meters. I think the hotel near the airport has a shuttle service; Google might give you more information.

If you are not staying in Honiara you should be okay, not many reports coming in from the other islands other than Isobel. Unless things have changed dramatically in regards to air routes, I doubt there is any other way of getting back to Honiara (Henderson Airport). You might check flights from Munda and/or Gizo (on Ghizo Island), however the last time I was there the only route was Gizo-Munda-Seghe-Honiara (and vice versa).

Let's hope Ozziegiraffe signs in, she has much more recent information than I do.

I agree with all of what Watsoff said. I am flying into Honiara on Tuesday with donations for flood victims, but I have lots of local contacts, and will only be staying for a couple of days, and not going anywhere else.
Will post here about current local conditions when I get back.
You.would probably be wise to stay at the airport motel if you can get a room, if you are flying out in the morning, as the usual peak hour traffic jam has multiplied with one bridge out and the other damaged. If you can't get in there, try the Honiara Hotel, which is on the right side of the bridge, or as a last resort, the Pacific Casino, which I would usually never recommend.
Munda airport is the only viable alternative to Seghe, and has daily flights, but the boat ride to get there will be expensive.
I would normally recommend Chester or St Agnes, as both are friendly, locally owned and have cooking facilities, and if you are flying back to Brisbane, the flight leaves in the afternoon, and you should have plenty of time to get there.

Thank you so much for your very helpful advice. It sounds like the best thing to do is to sleep at the airport or stay at the airport motel. I had already booked at Chester and when I contacted them yesterday, they said it was still okay to stay there. I also spoke to someone who said that I could bring some water purification tablets so I've bought a few packets to give. But I understand what you say about the scarcity of food, dangers of diseases, and traffic in the morning.

Even if we stay at the airport, will food be an issue? Should we bring food from Australia for our own consumption? We arrive at the airport at 2pm so we have a lot of time to kill before our flight to Seghe at 8am the next morning. What is the area around the airport like?

I am flying on Thursday so I probably won't be able to read your post ozziegiraffe before I leave. But I'll keep checking in case you write something earlier.

Thanks again,

Tsukasa

I don't recall there being much food available at the airport, although that could have changed since my last visit. There should be food available at the airport motel, or there was the one time I went there for lunch with a friend. The area around the airport is pretty rural, or (again) it was on my last visit. Things have changed so drastically there I don't even think I'd recognize Honiara now.

I know it is too late for the OP, but am posting this for others who may be travelling to Solomon Islands in the near future. The traffic jam is horrendous after about 7.45 am. Before that, it is possible to get through quite quickly, as we did yesterday morning. This will continue for some time, but will be alleviated a bit if a Bailey bridge is put in in the place of the bridge that washed away.
Food is usually available when check in is open at the international terminal, but not the domestic. However, there is quite a good market nearby, which sells barbecue.
Most of the shops all over Honiara are open for business as usual, as are the hotels. There is no food shortage, except possibly fresh market produce, as many food gardens have been washed away. This has resulted in higher prices for fresh fruit and veges.
Also, if buying fresh fish, check where it was caught, as waters along the Guadalcanal Coast are currently polluted with flood runoff.

Wow, a market near the airport? That is new! Rather like the teeny-tiny leaf-haus 'coffee shop' at the Bellona airstrip that sprang up after most Bellona folks were repatriated back to Bellona after the troubles started.

One of the reasons my friends like to come to the airport is the chance to buy barbecue (or betel nut).