Things to Do in Honiara in May

May's calm morning seas deliver the year's clearest visibility for diving WWII shipwrecks like the USS John Penn, resting 18 m (59 ft) down with coral-encrusted guns. Water temperature holds at 28°C (82°F), warm enough for two-tank dives sans wetsuit, and afternoon showers never reach the reef.

Tuesday and Friday mornings turn Honiara's Central Market into a riot of color, purple taro, yellow breadfruit, and the improbable blue of freshly caught parrotfish. The covered roof keeps showers off your head, and May is when Malaita growers haul in their sweetest pineapples.

The old coconut plantation roads around Henderson Field ride firm in May, dried out from the wet season yet not yet dusty. Pedal 25 km (15.5 miles) of mostly flat track from Honiara to the Japanese Peace Memorial, shaded by giant banyans.

May's southeast trades flatten Tetere's reef flats into glass, letting you drift above staghorn coral gardens in 3 m (10 ft) of bathtub-warm water. The beach sits 40 minutes from Honiara. But the reef starts at your toes.

This open-air museum scattered through jungle gardens feels surreal in May, tropical foliage at peak green frames rusted anti-aircraft guns like art installations. Afternoon showers only add drama as steam curls off coral memorial stones.