Cauldrons and Sea Cows
By TEAR, Brian
Vanuatu is a land of diversity – coral seas, tropical islands, active volcanoes and rainforests – and steeped with culture. Brian Tear , a Nelson outdoor and boating education tutor, describes a five-month cruise to Vanuatu with wife Hilary and daughter Charlotte aboard their yacht Argus.
Self-reliance, a cultural experience and quality family time were the motivations behind our sailing trip to Vanuatu this year. On May 13 we set out on our yacht Argus from a tranquil Abel Tasman National Park for Vanuatu via the Bay of Islands, accompanied from Opua by Willem Stein, of Nelson.
The passage took us seven days, on a southerly rollercoaster ride to Port Resolution on the southern Vanuatu island of Tanna, arriving on June 5, just in time to celebrate Charlotte’s 12th birthday.
Almost immediately we were greeted by a traditional outrigger full of friendly ni-Vans with welcoming fruits and vegetables, followed by an introduction to Chief Ronnie, who gave us the freedom to be part of, and absorb, the simple village life.
Clearing customs and immigration involved a two-hour journey on a ute to Lenekau, including crossing the ash plains beneath the most accessible active volcano in the world, Mt Yashur.
Two evenings later we were standing on its rim staring down into the cauldron of molten rock. Thunderous eruptions shot glowing ash into the air and we marvelled at each spectacular natural exhibition, while also relieved we didn’t have any molten rock missiles landing nearby.
Vanuatu’s fertile volcanic soil is among its greatest assets. Agriculture earns about 85 percent of the country’s export income – predominantly copra (dried coconut flesh), beef and cocoa.
Interaction with the local school was delightful, particularly for Charlotte as we told pupils of her age-group about New Zealand and its mountains. They were studying mountains and planned a one- day walk to another village before climbing the highest mountain on Tanna, Mt Tukosmera (1084m).
The coy pupils were very attentive, sitting at their rustic desks while we chalked up proud diagrams of New Zealand, its geography and its relative location.
Children under age 15 make up half the 210,000 population of Vanuatu. This baby boom has been related to the people’s change in outlook since gaining independence from the French and English in 1980.
At Potnarvin, on Erromango Island to the north of Tanna, children excitedly exited their school to greet us on the beach and sing a perfectly harmonised welcoming song.
Vanuatu has 84 islands that range from towering volcanic cones and stunning anchorages to raised coral atolls with sandy beaches. The nation covers 450,000sq km of South Pacific Ocean.
During our short stay in Potnarvin we erected and wired a solar panel, the first of a number of village commodities we serviced while in Vanuatu.
In the more sheltered Dillons Bay the village chief organised an evening of island food and the local string band for the visiting yachts.
Many villages have a string band and these were introduced during World War 2 when 500,000 United States and Allied servicemen passed through Vanuatu to stave off a possible Japanese invasion.
To the string bands, local lads added the tea-chest bass and ukulele. They sing with a pinched throat, forming a beautiful high- pitched lyrical tone. I felt honoured to be able to join in playing guitar.
Port Vila, the capital of Vanuatu on Efate Island and reputed to be the most protected port in the South Pacific, has a population of 38,000. It spreads up steep hillsides that offer stunning views over its beautiful harbour, which is sculpted with inlets, lagoons and islets. It was from here our treasured crew-member Willem flew back to Nelson.
The nearby tranquil Havanah Harbour on the north-western side of Efate is protected by the islands Tranquillity (Moso) and Lelepa. These small stunning islands have traditional villages hidden in the tropical forests and beautiful coral gardens around the fringes.
Anchoring at Nguna, an extinct volcanic island on the northern coast of Efate, shortens the sailing distance to the next main island north, Epi. It also gave us the opportunity to fulfil our desire to climb Nguna’s highest extinct volcano, 593m Mt Taputaora.
Greeted on the beach by the villagers at Utanglangi, we asked directions to the summit and were immediately offered to be guided through the dense, steep tropical forest on to the grassland tops by Ni-Vatu – Happy Frank.
Armed with machete and a wealth of bushman skills, Happy kept us sustained en route with bananas, tree nuts, coconuts, lemons and pristine water seeping from a cut vine.
The view from the top was a stunner. We could just make out Epi Island, our next destination.
However, a move from the predominant southeast trade winds to a southwester forced us to retreat to the other side of Epi Island to a seldom-visited village called Ngala.
It was their market day and the women were preparing their national dish, laplap. Manioc, taro roots and yam were grated into a doughy paste. Pieces of pork, beef, poultry, fish and flying fox were added.
Leaves from the laplap plant (like banana leaves) were wrapped around the doughy mix, tied with strands of vine and then placed in a ground oven with hot stones above and below. The finished product looked like one gigantic pizza.
We washed it down politely with kava, a customary soup mixture ground from the kava hallucinogenic plant – it looks like dirty dishwater and doesn’t taste much better. No effects were felt from our token gesture of a teaspoon sip of the strongest variety in Vanuatu.
Thirteen kilometres from Ngala is the active volcanic island Lopevi. Once Vanuatu’s most dangerous volcano, it had a powerful eruption in 1970 that sent everyone fleeing. Many re-established their village on Epi Island, returning only to tend their gardens.
The volcano erupted again in 2001 and 2003.
Lopevi (1413m) rises to a majestic classic cone with dense vegetation growing on the lower slopes. The upper portion remains dark with volcanic ash.
As we were leaving Ngala all the villagers were working together, rolling their heavy boat on logs down to the water. They loaded it with stores and garden implements before a select few boated over to Lopevi for a fortnight tending and harvesting their gardens.
Eventually, the winds reverted back to the southeast, allowing us to anchor in Lamen Bay to snorkel and sight a gentle dugong (sea cow).
Vulnerable to extinction, these fat vacuum-cleaners with a whale- type tail swish their snouts around on the seabed, sending up a cloud of fine sand as they separate out food.
The villagers on outlying Lamen Island casually paddle their outriggers to the main island every day except Sunday to tend their gardens. Sails are hoisted to harness favourable winds for the journey back – the picturesque silhouette is captured against the glow of the setting sun. There is so much richness in a simple lifestyle.
Further north, Ambrym Island’s dark volcanic soils, low-lying cloud and smoke from its two active volcanoes create an eerie atmosphere – a perfect setting for a two-day festival of traditional dances, magic and conjuring tricks.
The Rom dance is Ambrym’s most striking traditional ceremony. Men wear an extraordinary Rom costume – a tall, conical, brightly painted banana fibre mask and a thick cloak of banana leaves.
Others surround them, energetically dancing and chanting while wearing their traditional penis sheaths (mamba).
The price of one pig buys the privilege of wearing a mask; 20 pigs were killed with a traditional large hoe-shaped ironwood club for the ceremony.
Tamtam (traditional carved drums) and bamboo flute-playing, sand- drawing and magic tricks broadened Charlotte’s education beyond her home-schooling exercises.
To the northeast lies Pentecost Island where the infamous tradition of land diving (Nagal) takes place. It is much more rudimentary than AJ Hackett’s bungy-jumping.
Many weeks are spent building the 35m towers using tree trunks, saplings and branches. Each diver selects his own liana vines to lash around the ankles before a spectacular leap of faith that guarantees a successful yam harvest.
After experiencing each island’s distinctive characteristics, we reluctantly departed Vanuatu’s diverse surprises for New Caledonia.
Back home and reflecting on the journey, Charlotte states in her school presentation: “I enjoyed Vanuatu a lot and would love to go back. It just made me realise how lucky we are with our comfortable houses and good schooling”. FACT FILE
Captain James Cook was the first to map the islands, in 1774, and named them New Hebrides. In subsequent years the French and English began buying land and played a key role in the country’s development.
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In 1980, Vanuatu gained independence.
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Population today: 210,000. Vibrant Melanesian culture.
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Language: Bislama (110 different language groups). English and French widely spoken.
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Village life: 80 percent of the population live in rural areas in villages headed by a chief who speaks on behalf of the people and his word is accepted as law. Villagers feed themselves through subsistence farming, hunting and fishing.
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Education: 74 percent of residents receive primary education. Many can’t afford secondary.
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Aid: New Zealand’s assistance to Vanuatu in the 2007-08 financial year is $15 million.
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(c) 2007 Nelson Mail, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.