Page 169 - Pacific Paradises 2019

— Vanuatu —

ESPIRITU
SANTO
Santo
PENTECOST

AMBRYM
MALAKULA

EFATE
Port Vila

ERROMANGO

TANNA
VANUATU

The waters surrounding these who visit the capital, Port Vila, by boat, Ambae, located to the east of Espiritu
beautiful islands provide some of and there is Bauerfield, the international Santo.
the most spectacular and varied plane terminal, which is 10 minutes from The people
underwater exploration in the the capital. Thus Port Vila is the gateway Predominantly Melanesian, the people
South Pacific. Experienced divers to Vanuatu and offers visitors a wealth of speak English, French and Bislama, a
come from all over the world to tourist activities. form of pidgin. The Ni Vanuatu have
swim amongst the WWII wrecks Free of skyscrapers, the town is set within populated these islands for centuries and
which lie scattered over the a magnificent natural harbour, hibiscus with more than 115 distinctly different
seabed. dot the surrounding hills and the air is cultures and languages still thriving,
redolent with the scent of frangipani. Vanuatu is recognised as one of the most
A tropical paradise, only three and a half culturally diverse countries in the world.
hours from Sydney, Vanuatu means ‘the A boat trip around Efate and the other
land that has always existed’. island retreats reveals a place untouched History
by modern civilisation. The first European to visit these shores
It is made up of 83 islands formed in a Tanna Island has almost 28,200 was Spanish navigator Fernandes de
Y-shaped archipelago which stretches people who inhabit 92 villages in a Quiros who landed at Big Bay on Espiritu
over some 1,176 kilometres of the 565-square kilometre area. The islanders Santo in 1606. The French explorer,
Pacific Ocean, half way between have remained relatively unchanged Bougainville, arrived almost 160 years
Australia and Hawaii.
by a century-and-a-half of explorers, later and in 1774 Captain James Cook
Capital and major centres missionaries and traders. Pentecost Island charted all the islands and named the
Although Captain James Cook explored is a beautiful unspoilt place, home to a archipelago the New Hebrides. In 1839
and chartered the Vanuatu archipelago in spectacular ritual, the Pentecost Jump. missionary John Williams attempted to
1774, which he named the New Hebrides, Espiritu Santo is the largest and oldest impose Western ways and Christianity on
he ignored the island of Efate and thus island with the largest population and the Ni Vanuatu and was clubbed to death
missed discovering one of the world’s the greatest number of natural sights. and eaten. However, the locals had no
most beautiful deep water harbours. The movie South Pacific was inspired by defences against the slave traders, known
Today Efate offers safe anchorage to those this island and Bali Hai is named after as black-birders, who shanghaied more

– 167 – www.paradises.com