Honiara: where the Battle of Guadalcanal was fought

Capital of the Solomon Islands, Honiara rises on the island of Guadalcanal, theater of one of the Pacific's bloodiest battles during World War II.

The center, theater of the historic Battle of Guadalcanal, is comfortably explored by local taxi.

The National Museum of the Solomon Islands displays war relics and traditional Melanesian artifacts, recounting both the colonial and military history of the archipelago.

Minutes away, the American Memorial of Guadalcanal commemorates the bloody military campaign of 1942-43 that marked a turning point in the Pacific War.

Moving along the coast, divers explore wrecks from World War II submerged battles, including ships and aircraft sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal.

Towards evening, Honiara's local markets sell traditional Melanesian handicrafts carved from wood.

The Battle of Guadalcanal, fought between 1942 and 1943, claimed the lives of over seven thousand American soldiers and twenty thousand Japanese, marking the first major Allied land offensive in the Pacific theater.

The waters around Honiara, known as 'Ironbottom Sound' for the countless ships sunk during the war, remain one of the world's most celebrated wartime diving destinations, visited by military history enthusiasts from across the globe.