Gizo

Gizo, a town of about 4,600 people, is the capital of the Western Province, a single waterfront street on Ghizo island with a market, a few guesthouses and the dive operators that work the reefs and wrecks around it. Boats leave from the front for the surrounding islands. The town was badly hit by the 2007 tsunami and rebuilt. Kennedy Island lies a short run offshore.

History

In January 1900 Arthur Mahaffy set up a government station at Gizo, and the Methodist mission in the Western Province was founded in 1902; Dr Edward Sayers, who worked for it from 1927 to 1934, opened a hospital here. St Peter's Cathedral was blessed on 18 June 1964, and on 2 April 2007 the town was hit by a tsunami (Wikipedia, Gizo, Solomon Islands).

Highlights

• The waterfront street - the single road the town is built along.
• The market - produce brought in by canoe from the surrounding islands.
• The dive base - the operators working the western reefs and wrecks.
• The boat traffic - canoes and launches leaving the front all day.

When to go

May to October is the drier season with the best diving visibility. The wet season from November brings squalls. Flights from Honiara run most days.

Practical notes

The town is small and scruffy with limited facilities. Flights are small and cancelled in weather. Getting to the island means a flight plus a boat transfer.

Nearby

Kolombangara is east, and Njari is northwest.

Key facts