Why Visit Roderick Bay

If you're doing a week in the Solomon Islands, Roderick Bay is not to miss. You've got everything here, from unique attractions, picturesque locations, traditional life, and good communication. I cannot recommend it enough. 

• Only 3 hours on from Savo Island, it's easy to organise for a "round loop" trip from Honiara - Savo - Roderick Bay - Honiara

• Visit the famous MS World Discoverer, a passenger ship that ran aground in April 2000. There's a zipline running from the ship that the local kids (and foreign big kids) swing on and jump off the water into

• Stay in one of three bungalows built over the water. 

• Patrick (or his brother John) will cook you a yummy dinner of fish and rice. 

• As long as you are respectful, Patrick can take you to his village slightly further. If you're there on a Sunday, ask him about joining the church service. The singing is absolutely beautiful. 

• There are heaps of activities available, you'll just need to chat with Patrick when you arrive as he has very limited communication. You can do a village tour, learn about traditional medicines, visit the war-canoe carver, learn how to paddle a dug out canoe, take a night tour around the bay on dugout canoe to learn about the stars and constellations, or purchase carved shells or pig tusks directly from the youth and women in the village. 

• Communication is difficult with Roderick Bay. Only Patrick has a mobile, and it's an old brick Nokia phone - no smart phone. There's also only one spot that gets reception, and you can only access it at low tide. The cell-phone towers aren't fixed very often, and even when they are they get destroyed quickly with bad weather. Patrick goes to Honiara most weeks to get updates if anyone's organising a trip, but communications are slow and often depend on word of mouth, so please be patient and respectful!

• However, Patrick from Roderick Bay and Bernard from Savo Island also work together as lots of guests go to Savo first, then Patrick picks them up and takes them to Roderick. If you're having trouble getting ahold of Roderick Bay, fear not. Just message Savo Sunset Lodge and ask them to organise a trip for you, stopping at both islands. 

Contact Details for Roderick Bay Bungalows

Roderick Bay is slower to get in touch with as they have no smart phone and limited reception. If you're planning your trip with at least 2 weeks' notice, you'll definitely get in touch! I didn't actually have any plans before arriving in Honiara, so it's also very easy! 

If you're trying to get in touch in advance: 

1. Message Tourism Solomons and tell them you want to stay at Roderick Bay Bungalows. Tell them the dates, how many travellers are going, and whether you're going to Savo Sunset Lodge as well. They will text/call Patrick, and will let the Point Cruz Yacht Club (where banana boats dock in Honiara) know that you're looking to confirm a trip. 

2. If you haven't heard from Tourism Solomons and you are planning to go to Savo Sunset Lodge as well, follow the contact details on the Savo page to get in touch with Bernard, and ask that he helps you to contact Patrick and confirm a trip to Roderick Bay. 

3. If you have arrived in Honiara and you haven't organised any transport yet, don't worry. Go to the Solomon Islands Visitors' Bureau and tell them where you want to go. All banana boats from outer islands dock at the Point Cruz Yacht Club, so you can also go there and ask the staff if they've seen anyone going to Savo or Roderick Bay. Bring a book and be patient, as you may be waiting a few hours, but you'll get where you need to go!

Prices at Roderick Bay

Please keep in mind, prices fluctuate, especially food and transport, depending on availability of ingredients and fuel. 

Logistics:

• Accommodation Per Night - SBD$385 / AU$72

• Breakfast - SBD$60 / AU$11

• Lunch - SBD$65 / $AU12

• Dinner - SBD$75 / AU$14

• Boat transfer from Savo Island to Roderick Bay (private) - SBD$1000 / AU$187 (would have had to wait a days or two for a shared trip)

• Boat transfer from Roderick Bay to Honiara (shared) - SBD$400 / AU$75 (got lucky with a lot of locals jumping on the boat)

Souvenirs / Activities:

• Pig Tusk Necklace - SBD$50 / AU$9

• Shell hand-carved into a dolphin - SBD$50 / AU$9

• Village Tour - SBD$30 / AU$5.50

• Traditional Medicines tour - SBD$40 / AU$7.50

• Night-time stargazing tour - SBD$40 / AU$7.50

• Snorkelling trip around Simon's bay - SBD$60 / AU$11

Pictures - What to Expect

Here's the famous boat that shipwrecked in 2000 at Roderick Bay. There's a zipline running from the ship to the shore that the local kids (and you, as long as you have an up-to-date tetanus shot!) swing off of into the water. If it's of interest to you, I also found the front page of the Solomon Star newspaper from the day after the wreck: 

Left: Here's the bungalows you'll be staying in. There's three above-water bungalows and the village is in the process of building a dormitory bungalow on land for cheaper accommodation. 

Middle: Your view from the bungalow at sunrise of the shipwreck. These pictures are wholly unedited!!

Third: Inside the bungalow rooms. They have a shower and flushable toilet, and a little fan. The generator is not kept on all night though as it's very expensive to run fuel. If you want the fan on all night, talk with Patrick beforehand - you'll likely need to bring your own jerrican and fill it with fuel for the generator in order to keep it running all night, or pay extra for a full tank of fuel. I cannot stress enough how expensive fuel is for the village communities. 

Pictures from the village nearby. I spent the whole day in the village, chatting with the men and women, playing with the children, learning to braid and carve. It is kept so immaculate, and resources are all shared between the village. There's a small "shop" where you can buy cookies and tinned meat. They were out of cigarettes when I was there and that seemed to be a very common occurence. If you can, go on a Sunday for the church service too.

Left: The ladies often carve these shells into little dolphins - it's incredibly beautiful. The lady I saw carving on the beach had one finished and one half way through finished. I came back that afternoon once she was done to pick them both up. 

Right: In green is Patrick, who will be your main point of contact. He organises the foreigners coming to visit. The older man is a carver of traditional war canoes. His father taught him to carve, and now, worried that the young generation will forget, he's teaching the boys of the village to carve them too. He told me that a museum in New Zealand had even bought one of his canoes and paid him a fair sum to commission it, which brought a lot of joy to the village. He showed me the carving techniques and was happy to talk for an hour!

Patrick taught me how to climb betelnut trees - twist together these leaves into a loop and put that through your feet to create an extra support to help you climb the tree! I actually took these pictures as points of reference to help me climb betelnut and coconut trees, but they're also just interesting to see!

Left: Some of the beach huts near the shipwreck - while the kids are not at school, you'll often find these huts filled with playful children as they run around, with teenagers and parents relaxing in the shade under the huts. There's lots of dogs, but all friendly.

Right: this is dead coral taken from around the shipwreck, which has destroyed a lot of the natural coral. It's not useless though, this coral is then crushed up into a powder and called "lime". When chewing betel nut, locals will then dip a mustard stick (or other plant stick, depending on availability) into the "lime" powder and eat with the betel nut. I do recommend trying betel nut, but don't fall for the peer pressure and get hooked on it. You'll notice people tell you all the time that only locals and foreigners who have been adopted into the local community chew betel nut, but it can have pretty devastating effects to your health and teeth if you chew it long term!