New Georgia is the largest island in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands and the hub of some of the best diving in the Pacific. The island sits at the edge of Roviana Lagoon — a sheltered expanse of turquoise water enclosed by barrier reefs — where pristine coral walls drop into deep blue water teeming with sharks, barracuda, manta rays, and sea turtles. Visibility regularly exceeds 30 metres.
The island saw heavy fighting during World War II, when American forces landed on Rendova Island in June 1943 before pushing across to capture the Japanese airfield at Munda Point. WWII wrecks — aircraft and warships colonised by coral — litter the surrounding waters and make for some of the most dramatic wreck diving in the Pacific. Nearby Blackett Strait is where a young Lieutenant Kennedy's PT-109 was rammed and sunk by a Japanese destroyer in August 1943.
Beyond the diving, New Georgia offers dense rainforest, traditional Melanesian villages, and some of the most striking wood carving in the Pacific. Munda — the main town — and the surrounding communities produce intricate inlaid carvings that are among the finest in the Solomon Islands. Skull shrines — ancestral sites where the skulls of chiefs and warriors were kept — survive in several locations around the lagoon and can be visited with local guides.
Getting to New Georgia requires either a flight to Munda from Honiara or a long boat journey through the islands. Once there, transport is by outboard motorboat or on foot. Accommodation is limited to a handful of lodges and village stays, and you will need to plan ahead. The reward is one of the most unspoiled marine environments anywhere in the world.