Gizo’s Skull Island and John F. Kennedy’s sunken ship

Multicolored boats sharply contrast with rusting coastal homes in Western Province’s capital, Gizo, the country’s second largest town legendary for its notorious headhunters. Gizo’s principal attraction is the adjoining Skull Island, where ancient headhunters entombed the skulls of their victim chiefs and warriors. Today, Gizo’s headhunters have long been suppressed by the friendly Melanesian and I-Kiribati people who supply the town with fresh bread, long-life dairy products and seafood, as well as ancient arts like woven baskets, bags and mats; and ebony marine carvings inlaid with nautilus shell.

Ringed by coral reefs and clear waters, the palm-tree studded Gizo is also a noted diving and surfing wonder for its submarine sights such as the PT 109, remains of the vessel that was once manned by Lt. John F. Kennedy who later became the United States’ 35th president. The shipwrecked Kennedy was rescued by two Gizo locals in a nearby island named after the former president, and their story was featured in the National Geographic Channel. Other diving highlights include the Japanese transport Tao Maru and three other World War II aircrafts. En route to Gizo is the airport of Munda, which, along with Uepi, is among the province’s best dive sites.