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We arrived in Port Resolution – another one of Captain Cook’s anchorages
- in the southeast of Tanna Island after a lively 500NM crossing from
Fiji. Cook was attracted by the glow of
Mt Yasur, a volcano that has been continuously erupting for 800 years!
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Laurie’s brother, Ollie joined us on Moana Roa. Gale forced winds
caused his plane to abort the landing three times and fly to Fiji and back to
Australia!
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Vanuatu is like stepping back in time – almost primitive. Here we have the new and the old. Laurie’s Tahitian outrigger fascinated the
paddlers in their dugout canoes
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The bumpy ride to the volcano in the back of a ute
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As we approached the landscape changed dramatically from jungle to a
lava crust and black sand
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As we approached the landscape changed
dramatically from jungle to a lava crust and black sand. Mt Yasur, one of three volcanoes in Vanuatu
that are continuously erupting
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| The tour took us right up to the rim of the crater. We peered directly into the fumaroles experiencing the power – watching the lava being thrown 100m into the air, feeling the blast of the eruptions, and smelling the sulfur |
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The power was amazing! The
eruptions were potentially dangerous and we made sure we watched the lava rocks
very carefully – the rocks landed a way from us but another yachtie reported
that one nearly hit him on another occasion!
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Time to explore one of the local villages with their grass huts and
thatched roofs, subsistence - a very simple and natural lifestyle
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Vanuatu has been given the name “The friendly islands” and they
lived up to their name – very gentle, unassuming, and respectful people. We got to know many people and we were
invited into their villages
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Sow in her pen of sticks
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Trading some of our clothes and food for bananas, and bows and
arrows for Kara and Beau
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Kara the warrior girl…
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Kids waiting for their dad to take the canoe fishing
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Children coming home from school – the principal was happy to accept
some of our documentaries on the only school computer
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Fellow cruisers arranged a Happy Hour at the “Yacht Club” at
Dillon’s Bay, Erromango Island
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John William’s was a missionary from London who was killed and eaten
here. Vanuatu has been strongly influenced by Christianity and we noticed many
denominations represented throughout the country. There is also the John From and Prince
Phillip cargo cults – very fascinating!
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At Erromango, we were taken to see the gravesites of the ancestors
in caves, which were difficult to access
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These are the bones of the village chief and his two wives and
family. Our guide spoke to the spirits
before we entered
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Time for Kara to relax and read
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Cold coconut water is very refreshing – a shot of rum makes it even
better!
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Moana Roa beyond the mangroves at Lutes Village, Maskelyne Islands
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Drinking Kava with the village chief and Stewart, our guide
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When passing through Port Vila we met a couple who were running
eye-glasses clinics for the Lions Club in Australia and asked us if we could
continue them in the northern islands
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We ran two clinics and fitted about 60 pairs of glasses. It was a great privilege for the kids to be
involved in this service work
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| Travis is helping an old man, apparently aged 105, with a pair of glasses! He took the most powerful glasses but unfortunately his cataracts didn’t help |
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The AFL footy was a winner among the kids
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Sonia and Kara with a newborn baby
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Catch of the day – reef fish caught with a “musket blong solwater” (Bislama
for a musket that belongs in the salt water i.e. a speargun)
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We paddled and sailed to an offshore island to see the giant clam
sanctuary
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A local French-speaking family taking some of our “cargo” – as we
are starting to clean up the yacht for our entry to Australia
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Fog in the morning at Port Sandwich, Malakula Island
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We visited a boarding school where the 13-year-old village kids are
sent, if the families can afford it
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Peering through the louvres into the classroom and talking with our
kids about their return to normal school - only 4 months to go…
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Port Luganville, Espititu Santo Island was a major WWII base and at
“Million Dollar Point” we snorkeled on the heavy machinery, trucks, and tanks
that were dumped by the Americans after the war
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