Coast is clear
The gods have not been kind to the Solomon Islands in recent years. Just as the country was recovering from a civil war that raged from 1999 to 2003, it was hit by a devastating earthquake and tsunami last year. Any other country would be down for the count after such a series of body blows, but the nation is picking itself up.
The world's third largest archipelago, the Solomons cover a huge area, stretching nearly 2,000km from the Shortland Islands in the northwest to Tikopia and Anuta islands in the southeast. Most visitors make a beeline for Western Province, in particular Gizo Island and the Marovo and Vona Vona lagoons. Here, the tourism infrastructure is more developed and some of the most striking ethnic diversity can be found. The country's snorkelling and dive sites are famous, fishing and surfing opportunities abound and the people are warm and friendly.
Yet it seems the message that the Solomons are now safe and open for business has not been widely heeded; fewer than 5,000 tourists a year venture here.
Nonetheless, the Western Solomons Tourist Association insists tourism is experiencing an upswing. Association chairman Ivan Maeke says the building and operating of eco-lodges is being seen as an alternative to logging, a non-sustainable industry largely responsible for the 10.3 per cent growth in the local economy last year.
'In the islands there is a big push to build eco-lodges,' says Maeke. 'This is a lot better for visitors than staying in big hotels, where there is no interaction with locals - and the benefits go straight to the families involved.' Another benefit of eco-friendly resorts is they do not produce contaminated runoff, which would damage the Solomons' pristine marine environment.
Fatboys, owned and managed by Grant and Turia Griffiths, has three restful bungalows - one perched over the water - where guests can either relax and do nothing, or do everything from kayaking to snorkelling, diving and surfing.
A popular snorkelling spot is nearby Olasana Island, from where future US president John F. Kennedy swam in search of rescue for 11 compatriots after the sinking of their patrol torpedo boat during the second world war. Just offshore from Fatboys is Kennedy Island, the atoll the men initially swam to as the disaster unfolded.
But the best snorkelling in the region lies just off Kundukundu Nomana Island in Vona Vona Lagoon. Here, a reef wall drops more than 1km to the ocean floor and the sea is awash with the iridescent colours of shoals of fish.
Vona Vona is home to some more bizarre 'treasures'. Kundu Hite (Skull) Island, just offshore from the bigger Parara Island, boasts a sacred skull house of the Roviana tribe. These warriors used to row big tomoko (war canoes) as far as Gizo, Choiseul and Guadalcanal islands on headhunting raids. The skulls of the tribe's chiefs and warriors now adorn a ceremonial mound on Kundu Hite while, buried deep within the mound, the skulls of their victims lay - or so it is said.
'The chief and the priest used to gather on this island to bless the fishermen and warriors before their fishing trips and headhunting raids,' says boat driver and guide Jeff Hilaha. 'After the raids, they buried the skulls so as to 'capture' some of the mana of their victims.'
Exploration of this macabre spot is followed by some wind-down time at Zipolo Habu Resort, a low-key haven on Lola Island where Joe and Lisa Entrikin welcome anglers from around the world.
Sitting at a waterfront bar and sipping a cool drink, one of the resort's guests sums up the ambience when she says: 'I think I've discovered the meaning of the word 'tranquillity'.'
