Category Archives: Vanuatu

Welcome to Anatom / Aneityum

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Anatom also known as Aneityum is the southern most island in the Vanuatu island chain.  It would be a mostly forgotten island had it not had the luck of being the closest island to Mystery Island, a popular cruise ship stop.

Anatom has about 2,000 inhabitants across the entire 35 mile island.  The main village is called Anelghowhat Village which is where we anchor.   We had originally wanted to clear in at this island but you have to time it with the cruise ship in order to have the officials on island.  They fly in to meet the cruise ship which usually comes in 2x per month during this time of year.

We were unable to time it properly, so we ended up passing by Anatom on our way to Tanna to clear into Vanuatu.

The one local airline went bankrupt so lots of locals are stranded.  We help out Ben, the local principal whose uncle, Jack needed a lift from Tanna back to Anatom.  He was so sweet and quiet.  When we arrived, his family gave us a large basket of fruit!  The upper right photo is a picture Ben took of us sailing out of the bay.

After a week in the rolly anchorage of Port Resolution, we pull up the hook and head back south to explore this rarely visited island.

We had a beautiful sail over with 10-12kts of SE wind, full sails, and a 1m sea.  

Anatom / Aneityum

There are no official roads on Anatom, but there are loads of trails or walk ways that have been cleared.  The locals take bamboo and weave patterns for the side of their houses.  It makes them look so beautiful and unique.  We have never seen this done in any other country.

One thing that became very obvious were the shear number of toilets (little wooden shacks) everywhere.  Maybe each person had their own toilet?  Some had “thrones (aka toilet seats” some were just holes in the ground.

I love their game of bowling with canned goods and a tennis ball.

We were so surprised to see a local using a machine to grind their kava.  This must be for the cruise ship guests as I am sure most of the locals use the traditional hand pounding method.

The middle two photos are of a local classroom and the bottom photo is the local Presbyterian church.

We came across the ruins of the once majestic Presbyterian church that was deemed the largest missionary church in the Southern Hemisphere.  This is where Scottish Presbyterian minister John Geddie helped bring an end to cannibalism (as well as kava and dancing and customary ceremonies).  Now it is just a reminder of what once was.

They actually export pine wood and even have a lumber mill.  This was a huge surprise to us.

We spent several days in this anchorage.  There are lots of beautiful beaches to explore, sweet locals, fun paddling, and oh so much more.

We had some of the most spectacular sunsets over the corner of the island.

And of course this gave us an opportunity to visit Mystery Island.

A Walk to a New Village

Matt and I went with our friend Rena on a walk around the island, across the river to another even more remote village.  The locals we met along the way were so very nice!  One gave us 3 oranges, another gave us pompelmouse and they all greeted us with huge smiles!

There were so many beautiful flowers and their gardens were flourishing!  We came across this little make shift house with the most beautiful nautilus shell I have ever seen.  It was all I could do to walk away and leave it on the beach.  I think it is either a burial or something created to honor someone so we did not disturb it.

The first village we came upon was abandoned.  Most likely because it is too close to the fresh water river and the bay.  It probably floods a lot.

This village was really funny to me.  They had a clear division between the kitchen, living room and bedrooms.  They had a separate area for a shower (middle photo) and a large TV that was clearly not connected to anything as there is no electricity or cable.

We crossed the river where they were doing laundry.  It was a fresh water river and was so refreshing!  The man doing the laundry, yes a man was doing the laundry, took us to his village.  He then proceeded to give us fresh fruit!  So kind and generous.

The Supply Ship

The supply ship comes in 1x per month.  This is the only way the locals can go to and from Port Villa on Efate.  We watched dozens of locals return home and they unloaded lots of stuff including 2 new work boats.

Be complete accident, Matt and I stumbled across Jack’s village which is on the east side of the island.  We just happened to be on a beach walk when some kids came running out.  They disappeared and then a few minutes later Jack came out.  It was so good to see him and meet his family.

The Cruise Ships

Antaom is the closest island to Mystery island which happens to be a somewhat popular cruise ship stop.  They get between 2-4 cruise ships a month during the busy season.  Lucky for us, there were no cruise ships while we were here.

What does that mean?  The locals were easy going, super friendly, and always willing to stop for a chat.

But when the cruise ship is in, most of the locals from our village go over to Mystery Island to cater to the tourists.

Be sure to check in with us as our next blog showcases Mystery Island.

Just to see if you are reading all the way to the bottom to enjoy this beautiful photo.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred in early June.  Did you see the Continue reading →

Mt. Yasur Explodes During Our Visit

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Mt. Yasur is one of the world’s most accessible active volcanos.  We specifically visit Port Resolution on Tanna so we can experience this explosive Volcano.

Mt. Yasur at night from a neighboring village at Sulfur Bay.  Her bright red glow can be seen for miles and miles.

We drove around the bottom of Mt. Yasur a few fays prior to our hike up to the caldera and the landscape was amazing.  The colors were spectacular and stood out amongst the black lava.

At the bottom of the volcano used to be a beautiful lake, but now just a river flows through the valleys.

About Mt. Yasur

This active volcano has been erupting since 1774, if not before.  Its caldera  forms a figure 8 with a right and left crater.  We stood to the right which had 2 very active vents and 2 more somewhat active vents.  The volcano stands 361 meters above sea level on the coast of Sulfur Bay on the island of Tanna.  The crater is said to be 400 meters in diameter.

The glow of the volcano was apparently what attracted Captain James Cook on the first European journey to the island in 1774. Today, the mountain is a sacred area for the John Frum cargo cult. Members of the cult revere John Frum, a deified messenger who foretold the bringing of wealth to the island by American forces, and believe he resides in Mount Yasur with his countrymen.[4] The village of Sulphur Bay, the center of the movement, claims the volcano as part of their territory.

Hiking Mt. Yasur

The 7 of  us (Rena, Chris, Helena from Moana and Stephan and Kersten from Trinity) pile into the Ute to make the 45 minute drive to the volcano.  The entrance is lined with beautiful tikis that appear to be made of lava (top right).  The sun was setting as we arrived.   We did a quick safety course, then drove the remaining 15 minutes to the car park.

At the car park there is a toilet, but I would not be inclined to use it.  In the top left photo you can see the path that we had to walk up to get to the edge of the caldera.

The sun was setting behind the billowing smoke coming from the caldera which made for such a pretty photo.

For the first hour, we were the only ones at the rail, but then a group of 20 people came.  There was plenty of room for all of us.

First, you feel a huge push of wind, then a loud bang, then the fire and smoke.  The push of wind is enough to make you take a step back and gasp.

These two vents were very active and spewed their firey lava countless times while we were there to watch.  I loved the sound of the lava chunks hitting the ground, it was a large kerplunk!

And strangely enough it was not hot. Of course the wind was blowing the other way, but you’d think you could feel the heat from the vents.

Explosions at Night

Then the real fun started when the sun went down and night descended upon us.  Please check out our instagram account (either christine.mitchell4 or sv SugarShack) to see the awesome videos.  These photos are good, but they don’t do it justice.

It was truly a spectacular evening and opportunity to see the most accessible volcano explode.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred in early June.  In our last blog post, we visit the world’s largest banyan tree and a village that believes a man lives in Mt. Yasur.

The Cargo Cult in Tanna

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Unique to Tanna, the John Frum cult or religion believes that an American dressed in a WWII uniform, named John Frum will one day shower their remote island with cargo containers full of untold riches. 

John Frum first appeared to them in 1930’s, then again dressed in a WWII uniform, and is still believed today that he will return to shower them with planeloads and shiploads of cargo from America.  Houses, clothing, food, transportation, entertainment, and coca cola.

They truly believe that if they pray to this mysterious John Frum, he will reappear from the Volcano with which he lives.  Evidently he moves between Vanuatu and America by going down thru the volcano and under the sea.

How did the Cargo Cult Get Started?

The “cargo cult” started in villages in the South Pacific during World War II, when hundreds of thousands of American troops poured into the islands from the skies and seas.  Which makes sense why they believe more Americans will come in the same manner.

They celebrate John Frum day in February which is a huge celebration spread over 6 days.  With much dancing, singing, eating, and kava.

We Visit the John Frum Village

They are known to perform one-of-a-kind song and dance that is extremely rare to witness.  The John Frum village is located in Sulfur Bay which is just one bay over from Port Resolution where we are staying.  

Dances are held on Friday nights, when songs of praise are sung to the tunes of American battle hymns.  Unfortunately, we were not able to attend a Friday night celebration, but we did organize our own celebration.

We asked our tour guides to organize a visit of this very unique village.  They don’t get many visitors here, so when a truck load of white show up we were entertainment for the children.  

The Village

The homes are very modest, home made with thatch roofs.  Their dinner roams freely including tons of chickens and pigs.

Their loved ones are buried in their yards as is the custom in Vanuatu.  The kids of all ages play freely outside with lots of laughter echoed through the small village.

The Hardly Heard Song of the John Frum Villagers

As dark descends upon us we are called to the center of the village where a few elders and the children gather.  They tell us that they will sing for us but because they were not prepared they cannot perform their dance.  With much disappointment we manage to put on our smiles to encourage them to sing.  It was really lovely to hear them harmonize with each other using a simple guitar.

Check out God is American video all about the John Frum movement.

I know this is not for everyone and you may have to suspend your beliefs, but it was truly wonderful to meet these villagers whose beliefs are strong.

They are a very loving and welcoming tribe full of joy and happiness.  They may not have much but it doesn’t seem to matter because they have one another.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred in early June.  In our last blog post we share our adventures across Tanna.