Page 171 - Pacifia Paradises - 2020

ESPIRITU
SANTO
Santo
PENTECOST

AMBRYM
MALAKULA

EFATE
Port Vila

ERROMANGO

TANNA

The waters surrounding these beautiful islands provide unchanged by a century-and-a-half of explorers, missionaries and
some of the most spectacular and varied underwater traders. Pentecost Island is a beautiful unspoilt place, home to a
exploration in the South Pacific. Experienced divers come spectacular ritual, the Pentecost Jump. Espiritu Santo is the largest
from all over the world to swim amongst the WWII wrecks and oldest island with the largest population and the greatest
which lie scattered over the seabed. number of natural sights. The movie South Pacific was inspired by
this island and Bali Hai is named after Ambae, located to the east of
A tropical paradise, only three and a half hours from Sydney, Vanuatu Espiritu Santo.
means ‘the land that has always existed’.
The people
It is made up of 83 islands formed in a Y-shaped archipelago which Predominantly Melanesian, the people speak English, French and
stretches over some 1,176 kilometres of the Pacific Ocean, half way Bislama, a form of pidgin. The Ni Vanuatu have populated these
between Australia and Hawaii. islands for centuries and with more than 115 distinctly different
Capital and major centres cultures and languages still thriving, Vanuatu is recognised as one of
Although Captain James Cook explored and chartered the Vanuatu the most culturally diverse countries in the world.
archipelago in 1774, which he named the New Hebrides, he ignored History
the island of Efate and thus missed discovering one of the world’s The first European to visit these shores was Spanish navigator
most beautiful deep water harbours. Today Efate offers safe Fernandes de Quiros who landed at Big Bay on Espiritu Santo in
anchorage to those who visit the capital, Port Vila, by boat, and there 1606. The French explorer, Bougainville, arrived almost 160 years
is Bauerfield, the international plane terminal, which is 10 minutes later and in 1774 Captain James Cook charted all the islands and
from the capital. Thus Port Vila is the gateway to Vanuatu and offers named the archipelago the New Hebrides. In 1839 missionary John
visitors a wealth of tourist activities. Williams attempted to impose Western ways and Christianity on the
Ni Vanuatu and was clubbed to death and eaten. However, the locals
Free of skyscrapers, the town is set within a magnificent natural had no defences against the slave traders, known as black-birders,
harbour, hibiscus dot the surrounding hills and the air is redolent
with the scent of frangipani. A boat trip around Efate and the other who shanghaied more than 40,000 people to work on the sugar
plantations in Australia.
island retreats reveals a place untouched by modern civilisation.
In the 1860s, British and French interests purchased huge tracts of
Tanna Island has almost 28,200 people who inhabit 92 villages in a land for cotton plantations and the Ni Vanuatu retaliated by killing a
565-square kilometre area. The islanders have remained relatively

www.paradises.com Vanuatu 167