Last night as part of my visit to the troops here in the Solomon Islands, I took part in a Night Patrol of capital city Honiara with NZDF and police personnel.

Leaving from homebase of GBR - Guadalcanal Beach Resort - we travelled in a four-vehicle convoy to monitor a number of areas in the city. In places we stopped and patrolled on foot, talking to locals and visiting some of the Solomon Islands Police Stations.

Honiara, it appears, is a city that never sleeps - and one that is much different by night than it is by day. While less active than it was during the day, there were still plenty of people wandering around at night.

I can say without a doubt that the patrol made an impression and reinforced my view that our troops are fine ambassadors for New Zealand overseas. Approached again and again by seemingly friendly locals, who waved cheerily as we passed, our servicemen and women responded in kind. It is a real bonus having female soldiers and police as part of our contingent as the local women are much more likely to approach them than the men.

Always courteous and friendly toward everyone they encountered, our soldiers were nonetheless alert and wary for any sign of trouble. As one told me: the situation can change in an instant.

We patrolled a number of areas - including Borderline, China Town (scene of the infamous 2006 riots) and White River - and it was a great opportunity to view firsthand the professionalism of our troops in the field.