Solomon Islands?

[bundyjd]

Looking to do a trip to Guadalcanal with my brother next year, for a couple of weeks of scratching around the WW2 battlefields and maybe wetting a pan or two.

Just wondering if anyone here has been over there and can share any insights or tips?

JD

 

[LONEWOLF]

You are very brave heading into a place that isn't very friendly towards 'Out-siders' and Prospectors... I know 2 fellas that tried and they came back with their tails between their legs in a matter of Days... Good luck in your Quest, Hope things work out a bit better for You.... :Y:

LW...

 

[227dick]

get life insurance

 

[bundyjd]

The prospecting side of it will be very much a secondary thing, at worst I'll probably just have a small pan in my backpack.

We will organise a local guide who is well known around the island, rather than shell out for the mainly western run tours. Would rather see the $'s stay local.

I'd be keen to hear more about the blokes you know who had a bad experience over there if you are willing to share some more info, in private is fine....

 

[Goldfreak]

I was talking to a work colleague who was getting good fine gold right below a thermal spring up that way, he had good relations with the locals though ( family ) For an outsider it would be very difficult and possibly dangerous. Depends who you know in the end.

 

[DrDuck]

There is a fair bit of history with the one gold mine in the Solomons. It does not look at all promising in relation to casual prospecting!

Don't forget, a few years ago the place was the focus of a UN Peace Keeping mission with police and military involvement, which only wound up last year.

The Solomons is divided into Provinces with a Premier, and all the land is probably owned by local villages, each with their own chief. I'd expect that they would regard gold as theirs, and some pretty delicate negotiations would be necessary to get access to a creek even for a bit of a pan, particularly around the gold mine, which has been declared a disaster area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Ridge_Mine

 

[227dick]

you would have to be mad to go there for a bit of gold if any

 

[bundyjd]

you would have to be mad to go there for a bit of gold if any

That's ok, gold isn't the reason we're going there so if the opportunity doesn't come along that's fine.

 

[bundyjd]

There is a fair bit of history with the one gold mine in the Solomons. It does not look at all promising in relation to casual prospecting!

Don't forget, a few years ago the place was the focus of a UN Peace Keeping mission with police and military involvement, which only wound up last year.

The Solomons is divided into Provinces with a Premier, and all the land is probably owned by local villages, each with their own chief. I'd expect that they would regard gold as theirs, and some pretty delicate negotiations would be necessary to get access to a creek even for a bit of a pan, particularly around the gold mine, which has been declared a disaster area.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_Ridge_Mine

Thanks DD, we know all about the history of the place. I worked with a lot of guys who had been over there as part of RAMSI, but that was about 10 years ago so whilst a lot of the knowledge they passed on is still relevant, some is a bit dated.

The only areas we are likely to go are where our guide has local village contacts or family, I doubt Gold Ridge will be on the itinerary somehow.

 

[227dick]

I hope you get to see what you want to and have fun

 

[user 4386]

Yes, have fun. Just allow for health issues, especially around streams (eg malaria, dengue, leptospirosis, large toothy lizards). Also, as a rich first-worlder you are competing with the locals trying to scratch an income if you go gold-digging, so get to talk to them first and thus avoid a machete between the shoulder blades - perhaps show them a few tricks or pay a guide (although they may teach you).

 

[Dignit]

If you go to the War Memorial notice the high security steel fence around it. The company I manage designed and made it. Another company installed it. It was fairly robust to keep the locals out, who were continually vandalising the site.

 

[user 4386]

It is a different world, as I found on some New Guinea islands (last year I was greeted by a sign on one of the Trobriand Islands inviting me to see the collection of Japanese skulls). The tiny native population on the Solomons assisted the allies and served as coast watchers.

 

[bundyjd]

Thanks for the feedback so far folks, much appreciated.

The first thing we did was seek out a good local guide, not really feasible to see the places we want to see without one. He will make sure we don't end up anywhere we shouldn't be, and will take care of things like "kustom" for access to land etc.

Will be going to see the Travel Doctor here before we go and packing plenty of repellent and whatever other health precautions we might need.

Have also sussed out travel insurance and made sure the policy covers all the things we are likely to be doing.

We most likely won't be staying in Honiara itself, and will probably only go there during daylight hours for provisions and maybe to visit the museum.

We've been given a few tips on things to take as gifts for the locals (pretty basic things to you and I) so I'll be stuffing as much into our bags as I can.

As always, all the research in the world can't beat first hand experience hence asking the question here.

The hardest part now is waiting for the best time of year to go.....

JD

 

[user 4386]

You have researched things well. One thing - insurance cannot help with what is not there (I find often people - including me in the past - overestimate medical facilities). For example there were no doctors much less hospitals when I was in northern Siberia (larger than Australia), my daughter was bitten by a dog in Mozambique and had to fly to South Africa when the hospital said it could only handle things like cholera, malaria and fractures (no anti rabies shots). The clinic on the Trobriands last year was a wooden shack the size of a toilet (photo). There were no urologists at all in PNG until a couple of years ago, now there is one - when in Milne Bay (eg Alotau) they were out of antibiotics. I use a SPOT tracker and you can get a policy through it that will air-lift you out of remote places (check your policy).

 

[Bjay]

Brother just spent 3 days in isolation ward after contracting an unknown bug in Samoa. Turns out it was leptospirosis and looking like it may be a long recovery. He was out in the bush digging things so got to be careful if doing so.

 

[bundyjd]

Brother just spent 3 days in isolation ward after contracting an unknown bug in Samoa. Turns out it was leptospirosis and looking like it may be a long recovery. He was out in the bush digging things so got to be careful if doing so.

Not good Bjay, I hope he's ok.

 

[silver]

What's the WW2 interest for looking at over there... that is if it's not rude to ask. Sounds like it could be an adventure story maybe ? :Y:

 

[bundyjd]

Not rude at all mate, here's a few links to give you an idea of what the place is like.

http://world-adventurer.com/guadalcanal-revisited/

http://archive.wetreasures.com/relichunter/200412.htm

https://www.travel-associates.com.a...ii-history-comes-alive-in-the-solomon-islands

http://ww2tourism.blogspot.com/2013/05/relics-of-battle-of-guadalcanal-in.html

Hopefully it will be one hell of an adventure!!

 

[user 4386]

What's the WW2 interest for looking at over there... that is if it's not rude to ask. Sounds like it could be an adventure story maybe ? :Y:

The last post of Japan in the Corals Sea etc. They had pushed down into southern mainland New Guinea, centered on Rabaul (or Kokopo) under Yamamoto. Defeated in the push for Port Moresby (Kokoda, Milne Bay, Coral Sea battle), they held on in Rabaul as allied forces pushed northeast from New Guinea mainland and north from New Caledonia towards Rabaul in a pincer movement. As a result, the Solomons became a major battle ground, and you can see abandoned hardware everywhere. I know as my dad was a 16 year old radio officer in US Army Small Ships at Milne Bay (we were up there for the 75th Anniversary of the Milne Bay battle late last year) and he was later In New Caledonia as American troops prepared for the push north.