The Central Market in Honiara is one of the most exciting places in the city. Every morning, women from villages across Guadalcanal and nearby islands arrive with baskets of fresh produce: bunches of betel nuts, piles of taro, sweet potatoes, coconuts, and tropical fruits. The market is full of colour, chatter, and the smell of fresh food.
Honiara's harbour is where ferries arrive from islands all across the Solomon archipelago. When a ferry docks, the wharf fills with people reuniting with family, bundles of cargo being unloaded, and the sound of different island languages mixing together. Solomon Islanders speak more than 70 different languages — English and Pijin are used to communicate between groups.
The city has schools, hospitals, a national museum, and a botanical garden. Children in Honiara grow up surrounded by the sounds of the sea and the rainforest hills behind the city. On weekends, family groups head to the beach to swim, play football, and share food cooked in the traditional mumu earth oven.