Quick Facts: Port of Honiara | Solomon Islands | Point Cruz Wharf | Dock (most ships) | ~1.5 km to city center | UTC+11
Point Cruz Wharf is the main cruise berth serving Honiara, capital of the Solomon Islands — a destination that consistently surprises visitors who expected a war museum circuit and little else. The single most important planning tip: the Solomon Islands runs almost entirely on cash, so withdraw Solomon Island Dollars (SBD) the moment you step ashore.
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Port & Terminal Information
- Terminal: Point Cruz Wharf, Honiara — a modest but functional cruise facility with a small craft market set up dockside on ship days
- Docking vs. Tender: Most ships dock directly at Point Cruz, meaning you walk straight off — no tender queue eating into your time
- Facilities: Basic tourist information desk at the pier; ATM inside the nearby NPF Plaza shopping centre (2-minute walk); no reliable port Wi-Fi; no luggage storage; a few local vendors and taxis assemble at the gate
- Distance to city center: Point Cruz is effectively within Honiara itself — check the terminal location on Google Maps to orient yourself before you arrive
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Getting to the City
- On Foot — Honiara’s main commercial strip along Mendana Avenue is a flat 10–15 minute walk from the wharf gate. Central Market and the National Museum are both reachable on foot. Fine in the morning; hot and tiring mid-afternoon.
- Bus/Minibus — Shared minibuses (locally called “buses”) run constantly along Mendana Avenue for SBD 3–5 (about USD 0.35–0.60). Flag one down at the road junction outside the port gate. No fixed schedule, but frequency is high.
- Taxi — Port gate to city center costs SBD 30–50 (USD 3.50–6). Agree the fare before you get in — meters are non-existent. Taxis to Skyline or the War Museum run SBD 80–120 (USD 10–15).
- Hop-On Hop-Off — Does not exist in Honiara.
- Rental Car/Scooter — Available but not recommended for first-timers: roads are chaotic, left-hand driving, and parking in the center is genuinely stressful. Skip it unless you’re an experienced driver in developing-world traffic.
- Ship Shore Excursion — Worth it specifically for WWII battlefield tours deeper into the island or cultural village visits, where getting lost or arriving at a closed site wastes precious port time. For the city itself, go independently and save the money.
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Top Things to Do in Solomon Islands
Honiara punches well above its weight for a small Pacific capital — here’s where to focus your hours ashore.
Must-See
1. Honiara Central Market (free) — The beating heart of local life: stalls of betel nut, tropical produce, fresh fish, and woven crafts all crammed under one roof near the wharf. Arrive before 10am for the full buzz. 45 minutes.
2. Solomon Islands National Museum (SBD 20 / ~USD 2.40) — Compact but rewarding collection covering traditional canoe culture, shell money, and WWII artefacts. Well-curated, air-conditioned, mercifully uncrowded. 1 hour.
3. Honiara City Half-Day Tour (from USD 121.80) — Covers the museum, war memorials, Skyline lookout, and botanical gardens with a local guide who actually knows the stories behind each site. Book on Viator 🎟 Book: Honiara City-Half Day City Tour. 4.5 hours.
4. Point Cruz Yacht Club (free entry, food/drinks at cost) — Surprisingly pleasant waterfront bar with cold Solbrew beer and a view of the anchorage. The unofficial expat hub and a perfect spot for a breather. 30 minutes.
Beaches & Nature
5. Bonegi Beach I & II (free) — Two WWII Japanese shipwrecks sitting in shallow water just offshore, visible from the beach and snorkellable without a guide. Bring your own mask; no facilities. Taxi from port: SBD 80 each way. 2–3 hours.
6. Mataniko Falls (small guide fee ~SBD 100) — A short hike through the outskirts of Honiara leads to a striking gorge with a waterfall dropping into a deep pool. Hire a local guide at the trailhead — it’s both safer and puts money directly into the community. 2 hours round trip.
7. Solomon Chocolate Trail (from USD 235) — Visit a working cocoa plantation and learn the full bean-to-bar process in an area most tourists never reach. Genuinely delicious end product. Book on Viator 🎟 Book: The Solomon Chocolate trail. 4 hours.
Day Trips
8. East Honiara WWII Battlefields Tour (from USD 160.26) — The Guadalcanal campaign was one of the Pacific War’s most brutal engagements. This tour covers Bloody Ridge, Gifu strongpoint, and the Iron Bottom Sound overview with expert military history commentary. Book on Viator 🎟 Book: East Honiara Historic World War II Battlefields Tour. 4.5 hours.
9. Iron Bottom Sound Diving (from ~USD 100–140 via local operators) — So named because over 50 ships were sunk here between 1942–43. The wreck diving — destroyer USS Aaron Ward, transport Kinugawa Maru — is world-class and rarely crowded. Check GetYourGuide for current operators. Full morning.
Family Picks
10. Hotomai Cultural Village Tour (from USD 185) — A living cultural village experience with traditional dancing, kastom (custom) demonstrations, and storytelling. Genuinely engaging for older kids and adults alike, not a watered-down performance. Book on Viator 🎟 Book: Hotomai Cultural Village Tour. 4 hours.
11. Honiara Botanical Garden (free) — Shaded, quiet, and a 10-minute walk from the National Museum. Kids can run around; parents get a break from the heat. 30–45 minutes.
Off the Beaten Track
12. Chinatown Market, Chinatown District (free) — A chaotic, colourful grid of Chinese-run stores selling everything from fishing gear to fabric. More authentic daily commerce than any tourist market. 30 minutes of wandering.
13. Mbokona Craft Market (free entry) — Smaller than Central Market, bigger on quality woodcarving, shell jewellery, and traditional weavings. Prices are more negotiable here than at the pier. 45 minutes.
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What to Eat & Drink
Solomon Islands food is simple, fresh, and coconut-forward — expect fish, taro, sweet potato, and greens cooked in coconut milk as daily staples. The local brewery produces Solbrew lager, worth trying cold at any waterfront bar.
- Ikan (grilled reef fish) — Best eaten at Central Market’s small food stalls; SBD 20–40 (USD 2.50–5)
- Kokoda — Raw fish cured in lime juice and coconut cream, the Pacific’s answer to ceviche; available at Point Cruz Yacht Club or Lime Lounge; SBD 50–80
- Tulip leaf stew — A local green cooked in coconut milk, often served with boiled taro; Central Market food vendors; SBD 15–25
- Roti and curry — The Indian-Fijian community has influenced the food scene; solid cheap lunch at Honiara Hotel restaurant; SBD 60–90
- Solbrew beer — The national lager, cold and perfectly drinkable; available everywhere; SBD 15–25 per bottle
- Fresh coconut — Vendors near Central Market will open one for SBD 5. In 32°C heat, this is non-negotiable.
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Shopping
Central Market is your best source for shell money (tafuliae) — traditional strings of shell discs still used in bride price ceremonies — plus woven baskets, carved wooden sharks (a Solomons motif), and fresh vanilla pods at prices far below what you’d pay at home. Mbokona Craft Market is quieter and the carvers there are often willing to explain the cultural significance of their work if you show genuine curiosity.
Skip the pier vendors entirely for anything beyond a quick souvenir — quality is lower and prices are higher than what you’ll find 10 minutes’ walk away. Don’t buy turtle shell products; they’re illegal to import into most countries and harmful to a critically endangered population.
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How to Plan Your Day
- 4 hours ashore: Walk to Central Market (45 min), browse and grab a coconut, then taxi to the National Museum (1 hr), walk back along Mendana Avenue, cold Solbrew at Point Cruz Yacht Club before reboarding.
- 6–7 hours ashore: Add the Mataniko Falls hike or snorkelling at Bonegi Beach II to the above, with a taxi out and back. Lunch at the Honiara Hotel restaurant mid-day.
- Full day (8+ hours): Start with the Honiara City Half-Day Tour in the morning (covers the main sights efficiently), break for lunch at Lime Lounge, then spend the afternoon on the WWII Battlefields tour or the Chocolate Trail for something completely different.
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Practical Information
- Currency: Solomon Islands Dollar (SBD); USD 1 ≈ SBD 8.4. Cards accepted only at major hotels and a handful of restaurants — bring cash
- Language: English is official and
🎟️ Things to Book in Advance
These highly-rated experiences fill up fast — book before you arrive to avoid missing out.
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📍 Getting to Solomon Islands
Use the interactive map below to explore the port area and plan your route from the terminal.
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