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Auki, Solomon Islands - Things to Do in Auki

Things to Do in Auki

Auki, Solomon Islands - Complete Travel Guide

Auki still seems to be catching its breath after the 20th century sprinted past. The town clings to Malaita Island's west coast, its tin-roofed main street staring at a sound so flat you'll hear outboards minutes before the boats appear. Diesel and wood smoke ride the dawn air. By noon the sun ricochets off coral-rag pavement and the smell tilts to drying octopus and overripe pawpaw. Lime-green and magenta fishing canoes bump the crumbling wharf while kids splash, flinging warm brine across your shins. At dusk the mosque near the market releases the call to prayer, blending with the crackle of kerosene lamps in family kitchens. Walk end-to-end in fifteen minutes. Still, the lagoon, the forested ridges behind town and the steady river of lagoon traffic make Auki feel larger than its buildings.

Top Things to Do in Auki

Lagoon boat ride to Langa Langa Lagoon villages

Narrow channels spill into a jade-green lagoon where man-made islands of stacked coral hold stilt houses. Paddles slap the water. Women stand waist-deep, harvesting seaweed that glints like wet emeralds. Kids race dugouts beside your boat, laughing, while the skipper guns the 15 hp engine.

Booking Tip: Reach Auki main wharf before 8 a.m. when passenger boats fill. Chartering your own costs about the same if you're three or more.

Tuesday market under the banyan trees

Traders arrive by canoe and mini-bus, unrolling woven mats heaped with turmeric roots, betel nut and tiny chillies that smell almost citrusy. Woodsmoke from clay stoves clouds the air while fish cakes sizzle. Steam beads on your forearms as you squeeze between taro leaves the size of umbrellas.

Booking Tip: No entry fee. Bring small Solomon dollar notes. Vendors rarely break 100-dollar bills and there's no ATM in the market.

Kwaibala waterway paddle at sunrise

Mangroves arch overhead like a tunnel. Dawn light freckles brackish water the color of milky tea. Kingfishers click and dart. Your outragon scrapes pencil-thin roots that reek of iodine when bruised. The creek ends at a sandbar where you taste the first warmth of the day.

Booking Tip: Hire canoes from the Catholic mission guesthouse. Ask the night before so the caretaker finds paddles. They tend to wander off.

Auki War Memorial and old phosphate crane

A rusted cantilever crane, leftover from British mining days, towers above a pocket park shaded by frangipani. Palm leaves rattle while plaques list coast-watchers who hid here during WWII. Five minutes stop. Yet unexpectedly moving.

Booking Tip: Best light for photos is mid-morning. After that the crane's metal turns too hot to touch.

Malu'u surf beach day trip

An hour north, reef passes spin shapely left-handers that few travelers ever surf. From the sand you hear waves detonate on coral. Beneath beach almond trees the air tastes faintly of salt and diesel from passing trucks.

Booking Tip: Negotiate return transport with the same driver. There's no phone signal at Malu'u so you don't want to hunt for a ride back.

Getting There

Solomon Airlines runs the 35-minute flight from Honiara to Auki's grass airstrip at Gwaunaru'u on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The plane banks over spider-web lagoons before touchdown. Overlanders can board a coaster bus at Honiara's West Honiara bus stop - expect seven jouncing hours along potholed coral roads plus two river ferries where you stay onboard while deckhands haul timber ramps across. The third option is the weekly MV Fair Glory cargo ship; you'll sleep on coconut sacks under the stars, arriving at Auki wharf near dawn to the smell of bunker fuel and frying dough.

Getting Around

Auki itself is walkable, though midday heat can wilt the stubborn. Shared minibuses cruise the main road - flag one down and wedge in among market baskets; a cross-town ride costs less than a coconut. For the airport or coastal villages, hop on the back of a rented 125 cc dirt bike at the intersection near the ANZ ATM; drivers supply helmets if you ask. But check the chin strap first. Outboard taxis cluster at the wharf: agree on price before you board and carry a rain jacket because squalls roll in fast across the sound.

Where to Stay

Auki Lodge - wood-paneled rooms above the quiet north end of main street, where geckos chirp you to sleep

Kwai Lodge near the wharf - basic but you'll smell sea breeze and boat paint from your balcony

Catholic Mission guesthouse - spartan dorms and private doubles, popular with volunteers

Kwaibala River homestay - family house reached by canoe, mosquito nets and river swimming

Rainbow Lodge up Hospital Hill - slightly cooler air, roosters at dawn, shared kitchen

Kilusakwai Motel - newish concrete block behind the stadium, generator kicks in during blackouts

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Food & Dining

The food scene clusters in a three-block radius behind the wharf. At the harbour-end of Main Street, Island Pride Café ladles tuna curry so rich with coconut cream the flavor lingers long after the plate is gone - budget-friendly and open till the diesel generator shuts down around nine. Across the road, Auki Market food court fires lamb-flaps on iron plates. Ask for kumara chips dusted with chicken-salt, a local guilty pleasure. For a sit-down splurge, climb to Club 10 where reef fish arrives grilled with lime-chilli dressing and you can swap stories with Malaitan civil servants over lukewarm SolBrew. Night owls should follow the reggae beat to the tin-roof kava bar near the football field: plastic basins of muddy kava, salt crackers and tinned fish, conversation flowing until the generator fuel runs dry.

When to Visit

May to October is the sweet spot. Trade winds skim Auki lagoon, keeping chop polite and sweat mild. Skies polish to postcard blue. Snap away. Bureaucrats flood in for budget season. Lock in a bed early. November til April turns the dial to steam. Thunder cracks at 2 p.m.; roads melt into red soup. Taro piles up cheap at market. Surf peaks sit empty. Christmas lights up village feasts. Boats slow to a whisper. Plan ahead.

Insider Tips

Cash is king here. ATMs in Auki cough empty over long weekends. The ANZ by the stadium gets first refill. Withdraw while you can.
Bring a thin long-sleeve for sunset. Sandflies own the wharf after rain. They bite hard. Cover up.
Cache your maps offline. Outside town, data crawls at 2G. Power cuts kill even that. Prepare before you land.

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Itineraries

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Getting Around

Transport options and tips for Auki

Where to Stay

Accommodation guide for Auki

Budget Guide

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