07 Nov 2023

Ancient Customs and Cyclone Relief on Ambrym Island

Heritage Adventurer arrived at Nebul Village in Vanuatu, where locals were thrilled to see us and receive their first supplies and fresh water since Cyclone Lola.

Over the last few days, guests and staff donated $2,000 on board to provide food and water for the Ambrym community, so badly hit by category 5 Cyclone Lola two weeks ago on 23 October. It was very appreciated that their first visitors brought ashore 140 kilograms of rice, 3,000 litres of water in 20-litre containers, soap, medical supplies and another 300 kilograms of food. In return, they greeted us with smiles at the stalls of their fantastic wood carvings and bamboo flutes.

An hour's walk up through the cyclone damage (or short 4WD trip) took us to the forest theatre surrounded by wood statues of mythical creatures for the mystical Ambrym Rom Dance.

The site sits on the slopes of the active Ambrym Volcano, which last erupted in 2022 and now has a crater 12-kilometres across. The Rom Dance is essentially an initiation of youth to manhood featuring mysterious Gods dressed in leaves and drum sounds of hollow wood, and the dancers' feet on the soil. The ceremony enthralled us for over an hour, and then we were allowed to talk to the performers and were given fresh Pomelo to quench our thirst.

Back at the landing site, a local rhythm band played to raise funds for cyclone relief. Some guests had a final swim with the village kids, then returned to the Heritage Adventurer for an afternoon of lectures before Captain Tomasz's farewell cocktails and dinner.

A particular highlight was our photographer Stephen Bradley's slide show of our endless adventures on Discover the Secrets of Melanesia revisiting the many memories of our last 16 days. What a fantastic voyage and, as many said, "trip of a lifetime!"

Images © S. Bradley, Heritage Expeditions