Five reasons why I love Vanuatu

It's no secret that my fragile little mind was blown away by Vanuatu.  here's a few reasons why.

1. Volcanoes. Whether its the splendour of mount Yusar (above), a lava pit on Ambrym or the extinct volcanoe of Ureparpara, I have never experienced such a show of mother natures As the ground shook with every explosion, all I could think was how fragile our existence is.Geology certainly does 'rock.'

2. Creatures of the sea. Turtles, whales, dolphins and dugongs all inhabit this part of the world. Excluding the dugong, I was fortunate to see the others in abundance.

3.  Beautiful people. There may have been exceptions, but on the whole, Vanuatans were warm and friendly to us travellers.

4. Mystical Jungle.

5. Outriggers. Best form of transport. Ever. Instead of riding their bikes around the estate, kids will cruise the waters on these bad boys.

So if you're planning on a trip to the South Pacific, be very careful.  Falling in love with Vanuatu is very easy, you may never want to leave.

Favourite snorkelling spots in the South Pacific

One of the perks of working on a sailing ship was having access to incredible reefs.  While a few spots were disappointing, having major damage from storms or human inference, others blew my fragile mind to pieces. Here's a countdown of my four favourite destinations.

In 4th place is Aitutaki, Cook islands.  A honeymooner's haven, Aitutaki had great coral and sea life close to shore. The clear water meant we had great visibility for snorkelling.  Much better than what I saw in Rarotonga.

In 3rd place we have Hide away resort in Efate, Vanuatu.  This resort has plenty of marine life (one of my friend's saw an octopus).  However the underwater post office was the kicker!  There are a lot of people about, but this is compensated with having a bar right there after your snorkel (or before, I won't judge...).

In 2nd we have The Coral Gardens, Vavau, Tonga.  This place is so incredibly awesome that in my mind, it should be under international protection.  The coral was so beautiful that during our first visit, I don't think I paid much attention to the fish.  Which there are also there. Lots.

But in 1st place I've crowned Anchorage Island, Suwarrow atoll, Cook Islands.  As one of the most secluded spots on the planet, Suwarrow has had the luxury of little human interference.  When swimming to the coral's shelf, that's when things got interesting. The abundance of Sharks really puts this place on the map.
And here is an important disclaimer: There are not only reef sharks (the harmless guys) but aggressive bigger boys.  At one point me and Zim sighted a pack of sharks, including a brown big'un and moved quick sharp. Snorkelling at this spot is not recommended and only done by silly people like me. But wow, what a place!

Where are your favourite places to snorkel?

* First picture courtesy of Mr J. Biddlecombe.

Fake Killer Whales

Once the ship left Tanna and the awe inspiring Mt Yasur, we sailed to New Caledonia baby. On the way we came across these crazy mammals. Is it a dolphin? Is it a pilot whale? No its a fake killer whale. That's there actual name. Really. I had to read it up. Apparently a fossil was found before the species was recorded and the latin translates to, yep you guest it 'fake killer whale.' Anyhow, they later realised these guys weren't extinct but actually quite widespread in the old ocean!

This pod played with our baw for a while, hitching a free ride, before getting bored and heading off.

Nature's fireworks

Mt Yasur - Tanna.  After anchoring at Port Resolution, we hopped in a truck,

climbed up a peak

and found this bad boy

As the sunset, the exploding lava became even more spectacular.  The earth trembled with every boom and I wondered, will it finally blow? Will this volcano turn me to a crisp? Obviously it did not. Instead, Mt Yasur reminded me how beautiful and powerful mother nature is.

Riding a geriatric horse

Horse riding - Vanuatu style.  

Of course my horse was rather 'mature.' With no teeth and little energy to carry some British chick on his back, I spent a lot of the time feeling guilty. He also didn't really want to move once knee deep in the water.  None the less, we made it through parkland and beach all the way back to the staples, without my horse dying.  

One of my favourite moments was when 'the Swede' was rescued by a Vanuatan knight in shining armour!

A great day playing with horses.

* last two pictures via the swede, who keeps a blog here. its looks amazing and makes me want to learn Swedish.. 

A volcano walk

Impressive isn't it? Our four and a half hour trek certainly delivered.   

After a twenty minute lift in a truck, we hiked through jungle for an hour and a half...

then came to the ash plains, which came as a 'flat' relief...

but, uh-oh what's this, yes its boulders to climb over and around.

However, with great heights come spectacular views and even when I was crawling up the almost vertical path, all I had to do was look around for inspiration. I forgot how beautiful hiking could be.

and in this instance, great heights also came with a lava pit. Note: if you ever do this, bring a scarf to protect against the fumes (mmmmmm sulphur lungs!) and a jumper - it gets a little chilly at this altitude!

In our expedition up to the volcano, we were extremely lucky to see the lava mouth so clearly.  Previous crew had trekked up here only to find cloud coverage.  After lots of oohs and arhhs watching the lava spurt up, we hung about eating our pack lunch and took a few more shots.

And then it was time to start the long walk home...

Ambrym's Shore

Two crew members jumping the 12 metre drop off Ambryn's coast line. Love that our lady The Soren Larsen is watching in the background.  Sorry to say my nerve got the better of me and I did not participate.

We visited Ambrym twice during our two months cruising Vanuatu and it was the second time round that I got the chance to go ashore and take these photos. Known as the black magic capital of Vanuatu, the island has a reputation for witch craft. 

Its also renown for its Carvings, with many sent to the Capital, port villa, to be sold to tourists.

 Spending a few hours on the shore line was exactly what I needed , ready to rest up for a rather long trek the next day. But with the promise of seeing a live volcano, it would be worth blistered feet...

Football in Ureparapara

Another place I had heard about from other crew and was eager to see. Ureparapara, or also named 'that island where you sail into a volcanoe' certainly made a first impression.  A volcanic island, the harbour was created millions of years a go when the volcano exploded out.  What was left was a perfectly sheltered harbour with a small gap going out to sea.  Great for anchoring up, however as crew we had to use our sailing skills when the engine decided to play up just as we entered the harbour's mouth.   We had all sailed onto anchor before, yet the pressure of almost 360 degrees of surrounding land certainly got the adrenaline pumping.

Three  words sum up my first impression of Ureparapara - King Kong's home.  With the steep surrounding hills, constant cloud coverage and drizzle, I was expecting to hear roars and stomping from the jungle. However, a big ape did not appear to fight with a t-rex at the harbours shore. Instead The Soren Larsen received visits from outriggers and the local chief.

As permanent crew must only have rostered time ashore (enough people must stay aboard to get the anchor up) I had an afternoon on Ureparapara.  However, my time was not wasted.  Although I did not  hike up the hills to get an awe inspiring photo of Diver's harbour, I did;

Watch the kids show crew members a thing or two about football before taking part in a crew vs villagers football game.  We won but I think this was due to our 'extra' local players.

 A walk in the rain, later sheltering in a kid's playhouse.

 Watching a custom dance complete with special head wear.

Then making our way back through the village, meeting new faces.