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.

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