The
secessionist war is over but Bougainville is not back to normal yet – people
don’t remember what “normal” is. The local economy is still largely in tatters
and a lot of the infrastructure destroyed during the fighting is yet to be
rebuilt. But the message from Bougainville is “please tell tourists to come
because we need their vote of confidence – and their dollars”.
As
part of the new autonomy arrangements the name North Solomons Province is
no longer being used. Bougainville is now the preferred name for the island
and its region, without the word “province”.
The
best places to visit are the northern island of Buka, the northeastern areas
of Tinputz and Wakunai, Tarlena on the northwestern side and the offshore
Nissan Atolls.
Buka
is now a bustling town which has replaced the twin towns of Arawa and Kieta
as the capital of the region, although there are moves to re-establish the
administrative centre at Arawa. Buka is a safe town where business and government
operate normally and disturbances are now rare. There are now umpteen hotels
and guest houses catering for all the visitors to the province – mainly government
officials and aid workers but also a trickle of tourists.
From
Buka town you can hire a car and drive yourself around Buka Island to visit
the villages and beaches, although the Buka Ring Road is very rough in places.
There are also taxis and trucks you can hire to take you around.
From
Buka town you can also hire a motorised canoe to take you sightseeing on the
water. The best places to travel to by dinghy are Sohano Island in the passage
between Buka and mainland Bougainville (there is a lookout with spectacular
views of the passage), Taiof Island (30 minutes away with great snorkelling
and fishing), and Tarlena. Tarlena is a mission station and school some 30
minutes down the northwest coast of Bougainville by motor dinghy. Day visitors
are welcome and there are some small, uninhabited coral islets you can stop
at along the way for swimming, snorkelling and beachcombing.
Down
the northeast coast you can travel by road or by motor canoe to Tinputz. There’s
a nice little family guest house at Tinputz (Avis Beach). From Tinputz you
can travel by road down to Wakunai where they make and sell good local artifacts.
We don’t recommend travelling any further south than Wakunai at this stage.
Some parts of central and southern Bougainville are still a little unstable
politically and there isn’t much to see except jungle and more jungle, which
you can see elsewhere.
Nissan
Atoll is also an interesting place to visit. From the air you can see a myriad
of limestone cliffs which are a caver’s delight. The rest of the island consists
of a flat coral plateau. Nissan is littered with WW2 junk. There is a guest
house, a mission station and a government high school. The island is a laid-back
kind of place where you can hike around and look at everything without people
annoying you.
Bougainville
best buys: Buka-ware baskets and trays.
Our
favourite spot: Sohano Island
