Solomon Islands rescue mission wraps up

The 14-year-old Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands is wrapping up at the end of this week.

This week Solomon Islanders farewell the mission that has restored law and order to the country. (AAP)

There will be fireworks, parades and tribal dancing this week as Solomon Islanders farewell the 14-year-old mission that has restored law and order to their country.

Rampaging violence, lawlessness and ethnic tensions were tearing apart the Solomon Islands at the turn of the century.

The Australian-led Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands began in 2003, involved 15 countries, but finally comes to an end this week.

Over the years 7200 Australian military personnel and more than 1700 Australian Federal Police have been involved.

Australian Governor-General Sir Peter Cosgrove, Justice Minister Michael Keenan and Minister for the Pacific Concetta Fierravanti-Wells are travelling to Honiara to take part in the festivities and official ceremonies.

Mr Keenan said the next phase of Australian support for the Solomon Islands would be police and justice training programs.

"Australia's national identity was fostered through mateship, and that has lived strong through our resolve to help a neighbouring nation rise from its knees," Mr Keenan told AAP, adding the significance of the RAMSI drawdown cannot be understated.

"RAMSI is now not only our most ambitious foreign policy enterprises but one of our most successful."

Senator Fierravanti-Wells said RAMSI had become a model for future regional assistance missions.

"It has made a major contribution to the peace and security of the broader Pacific region," she told AAP.

Sir Peter was Australia's defence force chief when RAMSI began.

He reflected in his autobiography that resolving the Solomon Islands' problems wasn't a conventional police task nor a straightforward military mission.

Armed gangs had access to military-style weapons including machine guns.

"I thought that this high profile police presence and low profile... military back-up would be less traumatic for Solomon Islanders," Sir Peter wrote.

Quinton Devlin, the last RAMSI special coordinator, says there's a bit of festive party mood - tinged with some sadness and nervousness - in the Solomon Islands ahead of the mission's end.

"This is a vote of confidence in the Solomon Islands ... it's ready to write its own future," he told AAP.

The week-long celebrations will include a thanks-giving church service, launch of an exhibition on RAMSI at the National Museum, a community concert and the unveiling of a special monument.