Anuta island ?

Hi everyone :

I haven't been there yet, but it made local headlines in the South Pacific when a cyclone washed 30 ft waves over it. I think everyone survived by hiding in uphill caves. Check Google etc.

It is a "Polynesian outlier" as it is called, in the eastern Solomons. I think there used to be a govt boat maybe once a month, but that was a few years ago when I was checking out ways to get there.

Some of the Solomon's experts here on the TT may have more recent info.

It is hard enough to get to Temotu province, and Anuta is a far distant outlier. The only way to get there is by "ship" (generally dilapidated ferry boat, although they do need a seaworthy certificate to be approved to go there. There have not been monthly government boats there for years).
If you have plenty of time, go to Honiara (the capital of Solomon Islands) and walk along the wharf every day or so, to find out if there is a ship travelling to the outer islands of Temotu. Make sure it is actually intending to travel to Anuta, and not just Tikopia. Then wait a week or more until it is ready to leave. Watch carefully, though. Solomon time can mean 5 hours early as often as it means 24 hours late.
If you don't want 3 days more than necessary on a smelly overcrowded tub, fly to Santa Cruz, the capital of the Province. If you are lucky there will be 2 flights a week. You need to book well in advance, as flights are overbooked, and get to the airport early, as they usually have too much weight and too many passengers, and someone usually gets "bumped" . Also, don't rely on Solomon Airlines to tell you if the plane gets cancelled, as it does on a regular basis, if someone drives a truck across the grass runway in the wrong place, or if there is no fuel left in the province, as happened to me last year. Once you are in Santa Cruz, you can catch the ship there when it arrives there on its way to the outer islands.
The other option is that the Church of Melanesia (Anglican) Bishop travels around the Diocese every couple of years on the church boat "Southern Cross" which is a little more comfortable than some of the other boats, though there are only a few cabins, and you will probably need to sleep on deck at least some of the time.
If you decide to go to Honiara, the best place to stay would be either the St Agnes Rest House (where the Bishop stays when in town) or Chester House run by the Melanesian Brothers, These are the places that know what is happening.
If you want contact details, eg for the Bishop, or the rest houses, send me a PM. I also know a travel agent based in Honiara who grew up in Temotu, and maybe could arrange your trip. (He is of British parentage, but a Solomon citizen, and former Temotu Premier.)

I happened upon a ship headed that way when I was in the Solomons.
However the fact that the voyage was to take at least 15 (yes, fifteen!) days according to the agent, with no cabin space available on a VERY basic ship whose deck was already TOTALLY covered with people and cargo days before departure put me off.
This was a carefully considered decision back then. I knew it was a rare chance to get out there, but decided it was just not worth it. And I am not generally picky about ships I travel on in Indonesia ore Melanesia!

Spot on Laszlo. I had the chance of visiting Tikopia on the Bishop's boat, but declined, as my arthritic knees draw the line at entering and leaving houses kneeling, according to local custom. And I think if anything, Anuta is even more traditional.
A very dear friend came from Anuta. She died on Tikopia of malaria, while counselling cyclone victims: there was no way to get her to medical help.

That's it.
Basically, it would be either a stay of up to several months there (probably too long for me, especially not knowing what the people turn out to be like) waiting for the next ship, or one of only an hour or so (too little to justify the long trip), leaving on the same ship.

If the Bishop was travelling there, there would be a stay of several hours, probably including a church service, feast and custom dancing. Everyone on the ship gets invited. I had the same experience in the Ontong Java atoll, in the far north of the country and had guaranteed transport. Friends have been stuck there for months waiting for a ship. Both these Polynesian outliers have similar transport problems. Ontong Java now has an airfield, but no regular (or even irregular) plane service.

If the Bishop was travelling there, there would be a stay of several hours, probably including a church service, feast and custom dancing. Everyone on the ship gets invited. I had the same experience in the Ontong Java atoll, in the far north of the country and had guaranteed transport. Friends have been stuck there for months waiting for a ship. Both these Polynesian outliers have similar transport problems. Ontong Java now has an airfield, but no regular (or even irregular) plane service.

Apologies for the double post: TT has done this to me on another branch recently - don't know why.

If it does it again, you can simply edit the 2nd post, replacing its text with a single dot.
That's what I do when TT does it to me.