The most easily accessible of the islands near the southern mouth of the passage is Sohano, a few minutes by boat (K2) from Buka. It was the provincial capital from WWII until 1960. It’s a beautiful place with colonial buildings, gardens, magnificent rain trees, a Japanese monument and war relics, steep craggy cliffs, and panoramic views over town, the passage and Bougainville Island. The weird Chebu Rock stands just offshore from Sohano’s northernmost point and figures in local legends.