Pacific Ocean – Part 7: Vanuatu and New Caledonia

Vanuatu:

 

A large banyan tree with hanging vines on the main road leaving Port Resolution, Tanna Island.

A long time ago in Vanuatu, a woman was dissatisfied with her husband and ran away into the jungle. When her husband followed she climbed a banyan tree, tied vines to herself and jumped. She survived, but her husband who jumped after her without using the vines, plummeted to his death.  Ever since, the men perform the “land diving” from wooden towers 20 – 30 metres high, so they will not be “tricked” again. Only the men are allowed to dive, the women gather below in traditional dress and give support while the elderly men chant. Over time, land diving has become a rite of passage for boys, when they are ready to become a man.

So, after a five-day sail from Fiji, we arrived in Vanuatu.  It was a tough sail, with days of hardly any wind, and days of stormy conditions with big seas, lots of wind and rain. Clearing in in Port Vila, on the island of Efate, was easy and quick. Port Vila is a busy town with many shops and restaurants, a few hotels and resorts, supermarkets and of course a market.  Their market was the best we’ve seen crossing the Pacific yet, and hundreds of vendors display a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, some of which we hadn’t seen since leaving the USA. Getting around Port Vila was easy, almost everything was within walking distance, and if we were tired of walking, there were countless “busses”, passenger vans in reality, that would take you anywhere for a few Vatu. By the way, Vatu is the currency in Vanuatu, and in their local language it means “rock”. They used to use large rocks as currency here, and the name has continued through time.

 

Vanuatu raspberries at the market in Port Vila, being piled up and sold by the "heap".

Port Vila market sold many things, including firewood in bundles.

The swimming pool of one of the nicer hotels, looking out over the entrance to Port Vila.

Vanuatu grows cocoa, and we tried a few of their chocolate bars!

Vanuatu is in an active seismic area, and they have warning signs for tsunami evacuation in Bishlama.

One day, we were anchored in nearby in Havannah Harbour, and we found Lelepa Island where Survivor Vanuatu – Islands of Fire was filmed in 2004. We re-anchored there the next day, and enjoyed a beautiful beach with crystal-clear water over scattered coral heads. 

 

The water was so clear, this photo of the coral below was taken from our cockpit!

Survivor Beach on Vanuatu's Lelepa Island

Moving further north in Vanuatu was out of the question because an active volcano had erupted on Ambryn Island and caused all the island villages to be evacuated.  In addition, earth quakes had destroyed the only potable water supplies in several villages on Pentecost Island, displacing more people. Ash from the volcano was being widely distributed by the ever-changing winds, and there was the ever-present threat of tsunamis.  Furthermore, the famous land divers of Pentecost Island had already finished their spectacular tower diving earlier in the year. 

Instead, we sailed south to Tanna Island, home of coffee, cocoa, and Mount Yasur, the world’s most accessible active volcano!  Anchored in tiny Port Resolution, at Tanna’s southeastern tip, we explored, and found geothermal vents and hot springs, black sand beaches with dugout outrigger canoes pulled up on the beaches, and friendly villages of people who live a very simple life.  Information on the volcano tour was available from Stanley at the “Port Resolution Yacht Club”, who would also be our local guide.  Unfortunately, the road to the volcano was washed out one day, but the trip went as scheduled the following day after a few logs were used to bridge the washout.  The best volcano tours arrive in the late afternoon so you can see the cinder cone in daylight, and you stay until after dark to see the glowing fireworks display of lava being spewed into the air!  We were not disappointed!

Karen on the beach at Port Resolution, with a soccer ball present for the local kids.

The Port Resolution Yacht Club - lots of mementos left by sailors over the years.

Simple houses in the village in Port Resolution

Many of the villages on Tanna have no electricity, and these houses are built for free using materials found in the forest.

Us standing at the edge of the cone on Mount Yasur. It was cold and windy.

An eruption at Mount Yasur

A close-up of Mount Yasur!

New Caledonia:

We set sail for New Caledonia after getting our Outward Clearance from Vanuatu. It would be a two-day sail, mostly reaching or downwind sailing.  The only port of entry in New Caledonia is Nouméa, the country’s capital, and we made it in to Port Moselle Marina in Nouméa just before dark on the second day.

VATA at Port Moselle Marina

New Caledonia is surrounded by the world’s largest lagoon, (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), making for amazing protected sailing opportunities! New Caledonia was settled by Melanesians, who also settled Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, and Vanuatu. The first European to visit was Captain James Cook in 1774, who felt it reminded him of Scotland, hence the name “New” Caledonia.  Over the years, the island fell into French hands, and now the main language is French, and Nouméa is recognized as the ”Paris of the South Pacific”, rich in French art, music and food. And that means more cheap baguettes for us!

We have developed a liking to these guys!

The variety of cheeses available was astounding!

And there are some things we didn't even try!

Graffiti seems to be out of control in Noumea

A little side note: of interest to us and fellow Sudburians, New Caledonia has the world’s largest nickel reserves, and has a large mining industry.

The lagoon surrounding New Caledonia hosts clear waters filled with coral islands and sand bars, and makes for wonderful snorkelling, sailing, and kiteboarding.  We have never seen so many recreational boats on the water anywhere.  The country is so dedicated to protecting their coral reefs, that most anchorages have free moorings, and lots of them, so that it easier to grab a mooring than risk damaging the coral.

One of the scenic anchorages to the south of Nouméa

Karen on the beach at Ilot Maitre, where there was a resort and free moorings.

One day we caught the hop-on hop-off bus and toured around Nouméa, and visited Anse Vata. Yes, Vata! We asked about the meaning, and it was only a place name to them. If you recall, we named our boat Vata after the Tahitian “to be free”. We later learned that in Tonga it means to “lie with someone”. And here… just a place name. Maybe the meaning was lost as the local language was forgotten and replaced by French.

Sign at the Vata Beach

L'Anse Vata in southern Nouméa.

Looking ahead (and back):

I remember when the kids were little, and I took care of the bedtime routine.  I would start off by singing a few songs out of our Reader’s Digest Children’s Songbook, then read a few children’s books before putting them to bed for the night. One of my favourite songs was “Waltzing Matilda”, an energetic song filled with many words I had no idea of what they meant.  Beautiful memories… as we set sail for Australia where “Waltzing Matilda” is their beloved unofficial national anthem.

We are looking forward to the seven-day sail!