Now Honiara International Airport, Henderson Field is the single most important piece of ground on the island. The Japanese began the airstrip in mid-1942 to threaten Allied supply lines to Australia. The Marines who landed at nearby Red Beach took it intact two days later, and the runway became the magnet around which the whole Guadalcanal campaign turned: every land battle, naval engagement, and air raid for half a year happened because one side or the other wanted Henderson Field.
A monument to the Marine and Navy airmen who flew from the field — the famous "Cactus Air Force" — stands near the modern terminal, with plaques listing the squadrons that operated here. Walking the perimeter on the south side, you can still find revetments and overgrown earthworks. The road east from the airport leads to Bloody Ridge, the Tenaru, and Red Beach, so most visitors take in the airport monument on the way to those sites rather than as a separate trip.