Rennell Island, locally known as Mugaba, is the main island of two inhabited islands that make up the Rennell and Bellona Province in the nation state of Solomon Islands. Rennell Island has a land area of and is about long and wide. It is the second largest raised coral atoll in the world with the largest lake in the insular Pacific, Lake Tegano, a lake that is listed as a World Heritage Site. Rennell Island has a population of about 1,840 persons of Polynesian descent who primarily speak Rennellese, Pijin and some English. Rennell and Bellona Islands are two of the few islands in the otherwise Melanesian Solomon Islands archipelago classified as a Polynesian outlier.
The island lies south of Honiara and north-east of Brisbane. The provincial capital, Tigoa, is at the western end of the island.
Bauxite mining and logging on the west side of the island was poorly regulated, resulted in spills, and seriously damaged the ecology and economy of the island between 2011 and 2021.
History
thumb|1968 map of Rennell Island
Between 2000 and 1600 BC, people belonging to the Lapita Culture first occupied the island. The next settlement occurred on both Rennell and Bellona around 130 BC, with another major occupation in about 1000 AD. Later settlement of Rennell occurred prior to 1400 AD by Polynesians from Uvea, now Wallis Island.
Captain Butler of HMS Walpole was the first European to discover the islands in 1801. In 1933 the Templeton Crocker Expedition discovered several endemic species on the islands. During the Pacific campaign of World War II Japanese Rufe floatplanes operated from Lake Tegano until American Catalinas used the lake as a base after 1943. The Battle of Rennell Island was the last major naval battle of the Guadalcanal Campaign which occurred between 29 January 1943 and 30 January 1943. At the end of the war, eight Catalinas were scuttled in the lake. The island was later visited by a series of Danish scientific expeditions.
The present-day inhabitants say their ancestors, Kaitu'u, arrived around 1400AD from Ubea, now Wallis and Futuna Islands, crossed the Pacific Ocean and settled on Rennell and Bellona Islands, in the Solomon Islands. One of the villages in Lake Tegano is called Hutuna which is the Rennellese interpretation of Wallis and Futuna.
Geography
The islands are of volcanic origin with basement rocks forming between the late Cretaceous and early Eocene. Tectonic movements raised the seabed to allow coral building. The whole Rennell area is thought to have been initially deposited as coralline algal limestone and then dolomitized. This dolomitic reef complex is overlain by younger undolotomized reef limestone. The island is the second largest upraised coral atoll in the world. It is largely unmodified and includes the largest lake in the South Pacific.
left|thumb|Aerial photo of the coastline of the atoll, 2008
The island is about one hour's flight in a twin engine prop aircraft south of Honiara. It is almost totally surrounded by cliffs, with the eastern end dominated by a large lake, while the western end is relatively flat with rolling forested hills. One road, known as the Copperhead Road, traverses the length of the island from the Tigoa airstrip in the west to the Labagu port area in the south, with a branch heading east towards the lake.
Kangava Bay has beautiful white sands beach and coral reef which makes it good for snorkeling.
Lake Tegano
left|thumb|A PBY engine which had been hauled close to the shoreline. Image taken 1995
right|thumb|Sunset over Lake Tegano. Taken 2008
left|thumb|Typical view of Lake Tegano. Taken September 2008
right|thumb|Typical house at lakes edge at Lake Tegano. Taken 2008
Official Solomon Island maps name this Lake Te Nggano, while locals refer to the lake as Tegano or Tungano or Big Water. The lake is in length and wide, with an area of , which occupies 17.6% of the total area of Rennell Island. The lake is located at East Rennell, the southern portion of Rennell Island, in the central basin which was the old lagoon.
The hard bottom is covered by several meters of suspended mud. The lake has an elevated salt concentration being kept by a subterranean duct system which connects it with the sea.
The water depth is and consists of a mixture of brackish fresh and salt water. The average distance from the lake shore to the ocean is with wildlife predominantly eels and water snakes and a bird breeding area. The lake is listed as a World Heritage Site.
On the easternmost point of the lake is the former World War 2 airbase Tigoa. Information from locals claims that there are nine aircraft at the bottom of the lake, with five visible from a boat.
Lake Te Nggano was used as a base for flying boats by both Japanese and American forces during the Pacific War (World War II). Japanese Nakajima A6M2-N Rufe floatplanes operated out of Rennell Island until US air and sea superiority made the base untenable. American PBY Catalinas used the lake as a base after 1943. A detachment from the 2nd Marines was sent from New Hebrides and arrived at Lake Tegano on 12 November 1942 to establish a lookout post.
The US forces scuttled eight of the warhorses at the end of hostilities rather than take them home. Reports were made of crash landings due to the coral outcrops within the lake. Members of the local community attempted to retrieve one of the radial engines of the aircraft to use as a generator using only man-power. First it was cut from the wing by diving with snorkels and using hand-tools.
It was then dragged across the coralline rock lake floor by hand-winch. They were overcome in their task by the engine's tremendous weight. They did manage to get it close to the shoreline before giving up, close enough that one of the propeller blades is exposed to the air. Very quickly however, the engine became unusable through corrosion, so further attempts to bring it ashore were abandoned. the endemic orchid Dendrobium rennellii near Lake Tegano, two endemic species of Pandanus (P. lacustris and P. rennellensis).[] There are also 11 species of bats in the area including the Rennell flying fox (Pteropus rennelli) which is endemic to the island.
Lake Tegano is the only known location for the endemic sea krait Laticauda crockeri (VU), one of only two known freshwater sea snake species in the world. The other species of sea snake in the lake is Laticauda colubrina. There are five species of geckos, four skinks, the Rennell monitor (Varanus juxtindicus) and three snakes, all of which are species with widespread distributions and are typical of the region. There are 27 species of land snails, seven of which are endemic to the island, coconut crab (Birgus latro) (DD) and two other species of land hermit crabs (Coenobita spp.). A total of 731 insects have been identified from collections made at Rennell and Bellona. Moths (Lepidoptera) have the greatest number of species (246 in total) with 35 species and 25 subspecies exclusive to Rennell and Bellona. Renbel has no indigenous malaria, cane toads, vipers or crocodiles.
Culture
thumb|right|Tattooed women of Rennell Island, 1911.
Due to the tropical climate and thinly soiled coralline substrate, sheep and cattle do not thrive here. Villagers wishing to harvest seafood have the arduous task of climbing the surrounding cliffs for the return journey to the coast. Once at the coast, they are bound to harvest only finned and scaled seafood, not shellfish, lobsters or other marine creatures. The serious deficiency in diet prompted the Solomon Islands government to seed Lake Tegano with tilapia fish. These seem to have thrived in the brackish conditions and are now a staple part of the diet.
The locals also talk about a condition they refer to as "The Cold". They believe that this ailment is responsible for the onset of a debilitating mental illness. Adults who have no history of mental illnesses or drug abuse have been known to slide into a state of melancholy, requiring weeks of intensive treatment.
The locals do not have much respect for chiefs but most respect the Church leaders. and now crops are under threat by a more natural enemy. At the arrival of RAMSI in 2004, all Solomon Islanders were encouraged to hand-in their firearms following the period of ethnic tensions and many farmers who had used guns to protect their crops were also required to surrender their guns. In 2008 many farmers now complain that the native bird tekagae, kagae or rednose (in New Zealand it is known as the swamp hen or pūkeko) "has tripled in population since the gun amnesty". Bauxite ore is also mined in West Rennell. It spilled 300 tonnes of oil into the bay and damaged more than of reef and more than of lagoon habitat.
5,000 tonnes of bauxite were spilled into the bay in July 2019. and most have some understanding of English.
As part of RAMSI, there are two Participating Police Force (PPF) advisors stationed at Rennell Island, Tigoa. A semi-permanent ITSA structure provides accommodation which was officially opened by the RAMSI PPF Commander on 8 September 2004 and later a section which accommodates the Tigoa police station, was opened on 12 March 2008.
Power to the complex is provided by a 24-hour Kubota generator powering a split system Air-Conditioning, hot water, full kitchen appliances and washing facilities in the laundry/Bathroom. The accommodation/Office houses the HF radio, base sat phone and computer equipment used by PPF members. The Copenhagen University funded research to examine the rituals of Bellona Island which indicated that many men recalled the story that the island began as a Nerita shell and rose up from the ocean (p24).
In present time the people of Rennell are geographically divided between the lower lake end and the higher end by two Christian denominations. Around the eastern end, Te Nggano, the people follow the South Seas Evangelical Church, with the Seventh-day Adventist Church occupying the western end. The Seventh-day Adventists worship on Saturday, and South Seas Evangelical Church (SSEC) worship on Sunday. Church Leaders play a small part in most communities, and the traditional chief/elder system is becoming defunct.
Bellona Island also has one medical clinic.
Education
left|thumb|Henua pFNet Internet café. Taken 2008
right|thumb|Local TNT school building. Taken 2008
There are schools in all of the main villages and a Bible college which conducts courses on vehicle maintenance, cooking, construction and general living courses. It is estimated that the ratio of students is 80% boys and 20% girls with various reasons identified such as costs, tradition and family home duties.
Primary schools
East Rennell
- Moah School Hutuna / Tenqano Village
- Niupani Primary School Niupani
- Vaitahe Primary School Vaitahe Village
West Rennell
- Thomas Sandwich School Avatai Settlement
- Vanua Primary School Lavangu
- Kanava Primary School Kanava
- Tahanuku Primary School Tahanuku
- Newplace Primary School TNT Chistnick
- Kaagua Primary School Kaagua
Community high schools
East Rennell
- Niupani Community High Niupani
West Rennell
- New Place Provincial Secondary School (NPPSS).
Communications
Telephone and internet service is provided from two 3G-capable towers operated by Our Telekom.
The TTV television network, which covers much of the Solomon Islands, does not broadcast over the air to Rennell.
Since 2003, the People First Network (PFNet) has operated an email station in Hutuna; this station was originally operated on VHF wavelengths. In Niupani, a school opened in 2007 that partnered with the One Laptop per Child project, providing internet access to students.
Shortwave radios and satellite phones are used by some residents.
Utilities
There are about 20 serviceable generators on the island at time of report. These generators are mostly reliable; however use is restricted due to cost and difficulty in obtaining fuel. HF radios are powered by solar panel. No power grid is in existence. There are HF radios in each village and contact can be made through these in Rennell and Bellona. provides a twice weekly service from Honiara – Bellona – Tigoa (Rennell Island) – Bellona – Honiara on Tuesdays and Fridays. A RAMSI flight arrives every Wednesday with either a staff changeover and/or supplies for the PPF.
Both islands have grass airstrips, but no other aviation infrastructure. The airstrip at Tigoa is maintained by Civil Aviation Division sub contractors and is mowed by manually slashing with brush knives. Often various communities volunteer to take on this role so they can utilize the money for events such as Christmas functions.