Lighthouses of Solomon Islands

The nation of Solomon Islands includes an archipelago of six major islands and many smaller islnds off the east coast of New Guinea in the western South Pacific Ocean. The islands were colonized by Britain in the late 1800s. During World War II Japanese forces invaded from the north and were stopped by Allied forces in prolonged and heavy fighting in and around the island of Guadalcanal. The islands became independent in 1978. The country is a member of the British Commonwealth of Nations recognizing the British monarch is head of state. In recent years tourism in the Solomon Islands has been limited by civil unrest in many parts of the country.

Bougainville, the largest and northwesternmost island of the Solomon Archipelago, is not part of the nation of Solomon Islands. Instead, it is an autonomous province of Papua New Guinea planning to become independent in 2030.

There have never been any traditional masonry lighthouses in the Solomon Islands. As recently as 2014 nearly all of the larger navigational aids were described as "framework towers" in the international light lists. However, there must have been a major project to replace these beacons beginning around that time. Now nearly all of the lightbeacons are described as "white columns." Photos are not available but satellite images suggest that these "white columns" are either posts or round metal or fiberglass towers similar to the Honiara range light shown at right. Photos of any of these new lights would be welcome!

Honiara and Noro are the two international ports in the Solomon Islands. These ports are operated by the Solomon Islands Ports Authority, which is probably responsible for aids to navigation in the islands.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 111.

General Sources
Online List of Lights - Solomon Islands - Western, Santa Isabel, Central, and Makira
Photos by various photographers posted by Alexander Trabas.
World of Lighthouses - Solomon Islands
Photos by various photographers available from Lightphotos.net.
Google Maps
Satellite view of the islands.


Honiara Harbor Range Front Light, Guadalcanal, April 2018
Flickr.com photo by Jason Smart
Choiseul Province Lighthouse
Papara Voghöe Point
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 51 m (167 ft); one long (1.5 s) flash every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 12 m (39 ft) square steel skeletal tower with gallery, painted white. No photo available and the tower is not seen in Bing's satellite view of the location. Located on a prominent headland on the south coast of Choiseul, the northwesternmost major island of the archipelago. Site status unknown. Admiralty K4892; NGA 10772.

Western Province (New Georgia Area) Lighthouses
Onua Island (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on the northeast side of a reef off the southeast corner of Shortland Island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4889; NGA 10792.
Port Noro (Hathorn Sound) Range Rear
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); green flash every 1.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) black tower carrying a rectangular daymark colored red with a yellow vertical stripe. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Hathorn Sound is a deep inlet on the north side of the island of New Georgia. Noro, the major port for the western Solomons, is on the east side of the sound. This range uides ships southward in the sound. the front light is on an 8 m (26 ft) tower at the edge of reefs to the north. Located on the southwest end of Hathorn Sound. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4894.81; NGA 10742.1.
Munda Range Rear (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 12 m (39 ft); three quick white flashes every 15 s. 11 m (36 ft) "white column." The tower also carries a large white triangular daymark. A 2000 postage stamp depicts the original light tower (right stamp of the pair) and Bing has a fuzzy satellite view. This range guides ships through an opening in the reef leading to the small port of Munda. Located off Munda on the south side of the island of New Georgia. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOL-001; Admiralty K4896.41; NGA 10740.
Kunda Kunda (Kundu Kundu) Reef (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but but the light is not seen in Google's satellite view of the reef. Located on a reef on the north side of the western entrance to the passage between New Georgia and Rendova Islands. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4896; NGA 10732.

Santa Isabel Province Lighthouse
Sogna Reef (Tasla Island) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located on a reef off the north coast of Santa Isabel, marking the beginning of the passage leading to the provincial capital of Buala. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4898.7; NGA 10688.

Malaita Province Lighthouse
Auki Outer Reef (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two quick white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. Located on a reef on the south side of the entrance to the harbor of Auki, the provincial capital. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4903; NGA 10712.
[Auki Range Rear]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 1.5 s. 10 m (33 ft) white post. A photo is at right, Nick Hobgood has a street view showing both lights, and Google has a satellite view showing both range lights. It's possible many of the "white column" lights resemble this one. Located just offshore in Auki Harbor. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4902.1; NGA 10708.

Central Province (Tulagi Area) Lighthouses
Russell Islands (Lagholon Island, Lanalau Islet) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 11 m (36 ft); white flash every 10 s. 11 m (36 ft) "white column." No photo available but Bing has a distant satellite view. The light guides vessels in what became known during World War II as The Slot: the channel between Santa Isabel and New Georgia pointing towards Guadalcanal. Located on a small island at the northeastern corner of the Russell Islands, about 65 km (40 mi) west northwest of Cape Esperance. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS SOL-005; Admiralty K4920; NGA 10724.
Mboli (Siota) Harbor (Utuha Passage) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located off the east side of the entrance to the harbor and to the narrow passage between Nggela Sule (Florida Island) and the neighboring island of Nggela Pile. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4912; NGA 10672.

Auki Range Rear Light, Malaita, August 2013
Google Maps photo by Peacebuilders International
Indalilau Islet (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located on an islet off the southern tip of Nggela Sule (Florida Island) about 40 km (25 mi) southeast of Tulagi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4906; NGA 10680.
Tuituhi (Lyons) Point (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); three white flashes every 20 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Located off the southeastern tip of Nggela Sule (Florida Island) about 16 km (10 mi) southeast of Tulagi. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOL-003; Admiralty K4907; NGA 10668.
Tulagi Harbor Range Front (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); red flash every 5 s. 9 m (30 ft) "white column.". A 2000 postage stamp depicts the original lighthouse (left stamp of the pair), and Google has a satellite view. Located off the harbor of Tulagi in Iron Bottom Sound, the scene of many naval battles during World War II. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOL-007; Admiralty K4908; NGA 10660.
Tulagi Harbor Range Rear (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 12 m (39 ft) "white column.". No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. Located at the tip of a promontory of the mainland, 1145 m (3750 ft) north of the front light. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOL-002; Admiralty K4908.1; NGA 10664.
Soghonangola
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two red flashes every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's distant satellite view. Located off the southern tip of Soghonangola Island on the west side of the entrance to Tulagi Harbor. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4909; NGA 10665.

Guadalcanal Province Lighthouses
Guadalcanal is the largest island in the nation of Solomons Islands and the location of the national capital, Honiara. It is famous for the bitter and prolonged Battle of Guadalcanal in 1942-43 in which the U.S. and its allies were ultimately successful in stopping and reversing the Japanese advance in the southwest Pacific.

Cape Esperance (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column," apparently a round barbell-shaped fiberglass tower. No photo available but Google has an indistinct satellite view. The original lighthouse was an approx. 25 m (82 ft) square pyramidal skeletal tower, painted white. Cape Esperance was the site of one of the crucial naval battles in October 1942. Located near the northwestern tip of Guadalcanal. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4932; NGA 10652.
* [Yacht Club (Point Cruz West) Range Front]
Date unknown. Active; focal plane about 15 m (49 ft); green flash every 5 s. 12 n (39 ft) mast. E. Buchanan has the 2016 photo at right but the mast is hard to find in Google's satellite view. The harbor of Honiara is split into two parts by the Point Cruz peninsula. This range guides ships into the western harbor. The rear light is the Vavaya Ridge Light (Next entry). Located at the head of the western harbor in front of the Point Cruz Yacht Club. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4934.2; NGA 10644.

Yacht Club Range Front Light, Honiara, July 2016
Google Maps photo by E. Buchanan
* Vavaya Ridge (Honiara Common Range Rear)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane unknown; green flash every 5 s. Approx. 11 m (36 ft) round cylindrical tower, colored white. A small part of Yuriy Dzhygyr's distant view is at right and Google has a satellite view. This is the rear light for both the Yacht Club and Honiara Harbour ranges. Located beside a road a short distance west of the Solomon Islands Parliament building. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4934.1; NGA 10640.
* Honiara Harbour (Honiara Anchorage Range Front) (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 13 m (43 ft); red flash every 5 s. 11 m (36 ft) round barbell-shaped fiberglass tower, colored with red and white horizontal bands and mounted on a square concrete base. Jason Smart's 2018 photo is at the top of this page, Nick Hobgood has a 2013 street view, Lightphotos.net has a photo by Gennadiy Sushchenko, Nawae Construction contributed a photo, and Google has a satellite view. Located on the Honiara waterfront, near the ferry pier. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4934; NGA 10636.
Taivu Point (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); two long (2 s) white flashes every 20 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Bing has an indistinct satellite view. Located off the point on the northeastern shoulder of Guadalcanal. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOL-006; Admiralty K4944; NGA 10616.
Northwest Reef (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available but Google has a satellite view. Located on a dangerous reef off the northeastern coast of Guadalcanal. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4945; NGA 10612.
Rere Point (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 5 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." No photo available and the light is not seen in Google's satellite view. The original light was an 18 m (59 ft) square steel skeletal tower, painted with red and white horizontal bands. Located just on a promontory on the northeast coast of Guadalcanal. Site open, tower closed. ARLHS SOL-004; Admiralty K4946; NGA 10608.

Vavya Ridge Light, Honiara, February 2010
Google Maps photo by Yuriy Dzhygyr
Tawara'o (Square) Island (2)
Date unknown. Active; focal plane 10 m (33 ft); white flash every 10 s. 10 m (33 ft) "white column." This light replaced a 13 m (43 ft) square cylindrical skeletal tower, painted white and mounted on a platform supported by piles. No photo available but Google has a distant satellite view. Square Island is an islet off the southeastern tip of Guadalcanal. Located on a reef off the northeast side of the island. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4947; NGA 10584.

Makira-Ulawa Province (San Cristóbal) Lighthouse
Wangalaha Point
Date unknown. Reported inactive as of 2022. Skeletal tower, painted white. The tower height is not known, but this location would require a tall tower. No photo available and Bing's satellite view may show the light station but fails to show the tower. Located on a promontory near Wango on the north coast of Makira (formerly known as San Cristóbal). Site open, tower closed. ex-Admiralty K4947.6; NGA 10576.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: South: Vanuatu | Northwest: Northern Papua New Guinea

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Posted January 5, 2006. Checked and revised November 11, 2026. Lighthouses: 22. Site copyright 2026 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.