27 Oct 2014

Vanikoro Foxes

The swell from yesterday persisted overnight, so it was fortunate that the captain was able to manoeuvre the ship into an inner anchorage which allowed us to escape it for the day. The morning started with the birders heading ashore in search of Vanikoro endemics, most of which they succeeded in finding, along with great views of the two species of Flying Foxes that are found on Vanikoro. One of these species was considered extinct until the Spirit of Enderby visited earlier in the year, so it was great to have the opportunity for additional observations of this little known species.

The main party headed out for a leisurely Zodiac cruise to view the reef through the calm clear water and watched baby sharks hunting in the shallows (see below) before paying a visit to the memorial to La Perouse, whose ship was wrecked on Vanikoro.

At the conclusion of the cruise we landed at a small village where we were hosted by an extended family for a snapshot of life on the island. They gave us a tour of their vegetable gardens and then we took a wander along the beautiful golden sand beach. A number of orchid varieties were noted with at least six observed in flower, including the scented green and purple Vanikoro Orchid (shown below).

After lunch we went out snorkelling and what a treat it turned out to be. We went from sheltered bomies in the shallows to a spectacular vertical wall festooned with black coral and gorgonian fans while large numbers of fish swam all around us. The day was completed with a lecture from Conor on ‘Symbiosis in the Marine World’ and of course our evening recap and briefing.