Rennell and Bellona

Rennell and Bellona is a province in the Solomon Islands.

Canoeing on Lake Te Nggano, East Rennell.

Understand

Rennell and Bellona is home to East Renell, a UNESCO world heritage site and is the largest raised coral atoll anywhere in the world, and has some landscapes not seen much anywhere else. However, in 2013, because of threats of commercial logging in the area, as well as its uncontrolled rat issue, it has ever since been put on the World Heritage sites in Danger list.

Talk

English is spoken by some of the residents of Rennell. All seem to speak a form of Solomon Islands pidgin as well as the local language, Renellese, a Polynesian language.

Get in

There are two flights per week from Honiara to Bellona and Rennell. The flight goes to Rennell, and from Rennell to Bellona, and then from Bellona to Honiara. Sometime flight goes there other way, depending on the Airline schedules. Both flights are run by Solomon Airlines.

Get around

There are only a few vehicles on Rennell. If you are going to the World Heritage in Lake Tegano, you will need to arrange transport beforehand. The transportation must be paid in cash and can be expensive. In September 2007, a meeting of the Solomon Islands provincial governors was held on Rennell and several vehicles were delivered to the island for transportation.

Because of the difficulty in getting fuel to Rennell, the car ride may be more expensive than the flight. Prior to the vehicles owned by the province, a ride was often $100 round trip. Do not pay more than your pro rated amount if many people are in the vehicles with you.

See

• 1 East Rennell. The southern portion of the Rennell Atoll is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the largest raised coral atoll in the world, occupying 37,000 hectares (91,000 acres). (updated May 2019)
• Lake Te Nggano. The central lake of East Rennell is surrounded by the island, and is home to many endemic species. The island has about eight hundred inhabitants living in four villages around Lake Tegano. They are subsistence farmers and fishermen, relying on the forests and waters to provide them with all their basic needs.