Rennell and Bellona is a small but highlydistinctive and interesting province. Located some 200 kilometres south of Guadalcanal, it comprises two coral atolls, both surrounded by steep, high cliffs. The larger island, Rennell, is the largest coral atoll in the world, and includes the World-Heritage listed Lake Tegano, the largest fresh-water lake in the Pacific Islands. There are no reliable population figures, although the total is thought to be around 6,000 people, although a couple of thousand live in Honiara.

The people of Rennell and Bellona are of Polynesian background, their descendants thought to have arrived by sailing canoes around 600 years ago from Uvea (modern-day Wallis Island). The people’s music, cultures and traditions strongly reflect their Polynesian origins and, remarkably, their language is very close to Maori.

I travel with my wife Geraldine. Our generous hosts in the province are Joses Tuhanuku and his wife Mary-Louise O’Callaghan. Joses, from Bellona, has represented the two islands in parliament for three terms. Mary-Louise heads RAMSI’s Public Affairs Unit. Joses and Mary-Louise live in Honiara, but also have a charming family home, surrounded by beautiful gardens, in Bellona.

We first visit Bellona Island, where we are met in style by local leaders, traditional dancers, and a singing group. The dancers are striking, with traditional costumes, skilled and energetic movements, rhythmical music, and eye-catching tattoos over much of their bodies.

Hiti people

After discussions with local leaders, I set off with Joses on a walk to the rugged coastline, crossing fertile gardens and the thick, low forest which covers much of the coral-based terrain.

On the way, we enter several caves, where the legendary Hiti people are thought to have lived and practised their strange customs before the arrival of the Polynesian people around 1400 led to their elimination during the so-called Hiti Wars. We clamber down the steep rocky cliff to the ocean, and swim out across the reef and dive down to see the impressive array of fish and other marine life in the crystal clear water.

Our second walk is over the 10-kilometre length of the island, through villages and gardens, passing schools and churches. Most of the people of the province belong to the Seventh Day Adventist or South Sea Evangelical Congregation churches, although there is a small group of Anglicans. We visit the Anglican community of Togomainge hosted by Beverly and Francis Taupongi and meet the three Melanesian Brothers currently based there, who work with local communities. I tell them of my recent visit to the Melanesian Brothers Headquarters at Tabalia in western Guadalcanal, and of my admiration and respect for the dedication and devotion of the brothers, and their self-discipline.

The courage of the Brothers was exemplified by the sacrifices they made during the tension period in Solomon Islands, when a number were brutally killed on the Weathercoast of Guadalcanal, while working in the name of peace and reconciliation (a story told movingly by former Brother Richard Carter in his book ‘In Search of the Lost: the Modern Martyrs of Melanesia’, published in 2007).

The walk gives a sense of the lifestyle on Bellona–beautiful natural surroundings and fertile gardens, but only limited facilities and government services.

 The island has tourism potential, and we visit two of the local establishments which cater for the small number of travellers who visit the island. Barnabas Suainili and Milly Talitua welcome us kindly at the Suani Guesthouse, which we note from the enthusiastic entries in the guest book recently played host to a number of RAMSI military personnel. At the end of our walk on the island’s eastern cliffs, we visit the stunningly situated Aotaha Cave Resort, a unique eco-tourism venture which captures the imagination of all who visit.

Here, it is possible to sleep in a cave, swim in refreshing rock pools below and enjoy beautiful local foods such as crayfish and coconut crab all while looking across the sea to Rennell Island some 15 minutes away.   

Rennell Island

The next day, we take the 15-minute flight to Rennell Island, landing at the isolated provincial centre, Tingoa. There is more than usual activity in town. The Seventh Day Adventist women’s organisation, DORCAS, is holding a meeting lasting several days, and many women have come from around the province to participate. As a result, a market held the previous day attracts around a hundred sellers, a positive sign given recent reports of food shortages in Rennell due to the effects of climate change.

The circuit court is in session, with Magistrate Flickson Samani in attendance, along with two members (one RAMSI-funded) of the Public Solicitor’s Officer and a Police Prosecutor.

Such circuits are vitally important to keep the wheels of justice turning smoothly, without undue delays. But given the relatively small number of magistrates in Solomon Islands, as well as the logistical and other challenges associated with circuit court management, it is a major and sometimes frustrating task to prevent significant delays.

We meet with Flickson and members of the visiting legal team, who impress as conscientious and adaptable. We observe the proceedings, which, for want of a permanent court building, take place on the verandah of the RAMSI Participating Police Force/Solomon Islands Police Force station. A youth arrested for attacking another young man with a bush knife several days earlier sits quietly to one side. We learn that later he is granted bail, and that a kindly local police officer accommodates him at his house, pending further hearings. A large number of other cases are dealt with during the circuit, but some have to be deferred, usually because of the difficulty of securing attendance by the defendants, many of whom take a relaxed view of their obligation to respond to police or court orders.

Lake Tegano

Our next meeting is with the Premier of Rennell and Bellona Province, Hon Timothy Johnston. I note RAMSI’s keenness to keep up direct contact with provincial premiers.

The premier, who was elected to the position in March 2008, is thoughtful in outlining the challenges and opportunities in the Province. He is very aware of the need for environmental safeguards, particularly in and around the World Heritage site; where mining and logging have no place. He indicates that the case for mining in Western Rennell, however, where significant bauxite was found some years ago but not exploited, is worth consideration. We discuss RAMSI and the contribution it is making to the provinces, including through support to policing and law and justice, and in strengthening provincial government systems.

We are looked after by Martin Tutton, a capable and friendly New Zealander who is the senior PPF officer in Tingoa, and he shows us around the police precinct. After meeting with the provincial leadership of the Solomon Islands Police Force, we start the journey from Tingoa to Lake Tegano. We are in the capable hands of Papu Muamua, a Samoan PPF officer, who negotiates the rocky 50-kilometre road, largely through attractive uninhabited forest, with skill.

The road is in bad repair in many places, and the journey takes three hours. At one point we detour to investigate an unsightly road being built by a logging company, clearly with little regard for the environment. We learn that the proposed logging venture is very controversial, and that a number of serious questions have been raised. The behaviour of the company in question is disturbingly symptomatic of a much wider problem with many logging activities in Solomon Islands.

Fabled Giant Octopus Cave

Once we arrive at the lake, it is a 40-minute boat ride to our attractive accommodation at Tegano Lodge, one of a few eco-lodges on the shores of the lake which cater for the small number of local and foreign visitors who journey to this magnificent but remote location.

The next day we explore the lake by boat for six hours with our local companions, Paul and Eli, taking in the myriad of small islands dotted around vast expanse of water and the wonderful bird life, visiting the fabled Gugutaupongi or giant octopus cave, and diving down several metres under the water to see a United States Catalina sea plane, one of a number of World War II relics which remain submerged in the lake.

At the lake we are fortunate to meet a number of local and other people who are involved in current and future management of the 40 kilometre-long lake and its surrounds, in support of the lake’s prized World Heritage status, granted in 1998 (as the ‘Eastern Rennell World Heritage Site’). We meet two Australian volunteers who live and work on the shores of the lake, Mike Heywood and Kasia Gabrys, as well as a Canadian consultant Laurie Wein, all of whom are making a valuable contribution in supporting Solomon Islands efforts to safeguard this unique and priceless global environmental asset, in a way which will assist the livelihoods and future well-being of the local communities.

We learn that Lake Tegano is the only site in the Pacific Islands region to have UNESCO World Heritage status based on it natural qualities. There are 878 World Heritage sites globally, and the Pacific Islands region, with its rich natural and cultural features, would seem to be significantly under-represented.

We hear that, encouragingly, Australia has been elected to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, and is well-placed to support Pacific Islands’ aspirations. Coincidentally, on departure at Tingoa Airport, we later meet two officers of Australia’s Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, who had just visited Lake Tegano and are assisting the Solomon Islands on World Heritage issues.

Our visit nearing its end, we drive back from the Lake with our PPF colleague, Martin. We share impressions. Rennell and Bellona Province experiences many of the challenges common to the rest of Solomon Islands. Transport is a problem, being infrequent and expensive. Telecommunications have been non-existent although Telecom is now establishing services in Rennell and the EU-funded solar powered satellite PFNET link at Henua Secondary School on the shores of the lake provides a valuable internet connection for a limited number of users, the only such service in the province. National Government service delivery is often poor, with only low-level support from Honiara in a number of areas—one clear example being the Ministry of Education’s failure to pay a school principal for many months, without apparent reason.

Potential exploitation of timber and mining resources seems problematic, given the fragility of the natural environment, the differing community views on such developments, and the difficulty of monitoring and effectively regulating such activity.

However, we are struck too by the considerable potential of this unique province. Fishing and agriculture provide a solid subsistence base. The World Heritage site is a justifiable source of pride and given reliable communications and improved infrastructure, Lake Tegano and other attractions should provide a good basis for a significant level of eco tourism.

Above all, and like elsewhere in Solomon Islands, the people are resilient and resourceful. Given adequate educational opportunities for the younger generation, better transport and communications links for all, and improved services more generally, the people of Rennell and Bellona will face a bright future.