26 Oct 2018

Blue Holes, Kava, and a Dugong sighting in Vanuatu

The Spirit of Enderby has spent the last 2 of the remaining 3 days on our Secret's of Melanesia expedition sailing through the islands of Vanuatu. Our first stop was at Sola on Vanua Lava, provincial capital of the Banks Islands and nestled on the shores of the harbour beneath the towering green hills of this volcanic island. Shortly after arrival customs formalities were completed and we headed ashore; the birders spent the morning exploring the town and looking for the local endemics - especially the Vanuatu Honeyeater which is prolific here, but seldom seen elsewhere. The rest of us enjoyed a welcome to Vanuatu at the traditional village including the energetic dances unique to the Banks Islands and a Kava ceremony. During the afternoon we headed out on the water, snorkelling over an area of extensive plate corals, but the highlight, for a lucky group, was a fantastic sighting of a Dugong that swam through.

The next day saw us visiting Espirito Santo with an early start for the birders who went ashore at 0500 on their way to Vathe Conservation Area. A little later in the morning, we headed ashore to enjoy Champagne on Champagne beach, followed by an energetic performance of water music in the crystalline shallows and some brilliant. The snorkelling wasn't bad either. After a lunchtime sail down the coast it was all ashore for a tour of Luganville and the WWII sights including Million Dollar Point and the newly established South Pacific WWII Museum. The day concluded with a swim at one of Santo's beautiful Blue Holes and, for those that were keen, an evening into night Zodiac cruise through the flooded forest with Tim Flannery in search of bats ... of which we identified at least 4 species!

(c) S Noakes