An escapade in the heart of Melanesia

Elcho Island, also known as Galiwinku, is home to almost 3000 Aboriginal people, members of the hyper-cerebral Yolngu group of clans. It is a place of lush natural beauty: the curving beaches are surrounded by deep-red cliffs; the forests of acacia and stringybark stretch away. There’s also a large community of artists that produce a wide range of traditional craft and fine artworks.

Njari is a small island almost entirely covered in trees with just a small sand spit at its eastern end. A labyrinth of reefs and coral heads make an approach only feasible from the north. The small beach invites one to relax, but swimming from the beach is almost impossible as the corals are too close. To enjoy the underwater world one has to enter the water from a small boat, a little distance from the shore, where an amazing array of fish and coral will be visible. Two hundred and seventy nine different fish species have been seen during a single dive; the fourth-highest fish count ever recorded. An indication of why this island is considered a top spot for snorkeling in the Solomon Islands.

Roderick Bay is a hidden cove on the northwestern side of Ngela Sule, a small verdant green island, and would be just like hundreds of similar coves in the Solomon Islands were it not for a shipwreck in the shallows of the bay. A small native village is located just around the corner from the ship and the locals offer a friendly welcome. Lianas from shore are beginning to encase the boat’s hull and seem to drag her back towards the forest. Snorkeling around the wreck provides a view of how the hull is now becoming a thriving artificial reef.

Port Mary is the name of the bay adjacent to Ghupuna, the main village in Santa Ana. A bright white sand beach with huge shade-giving trees runs along the shoreline in front of the tidy village. The houses here are made with local materials and most are built on stilts. Islanders generally welcome visitors with traditional songs and dances performed by members of the three different villages on Santa Ana. Some local people will also set up stands offering souvenirs for purchase. The Solomons are best known for strings of traditional shell money and elegant carvings based on local stories and legends.

Paradise Lagoon is located in the southern part of Espiritu Santo, the largest of the 83 volcanic islands that make up Vanuatu. The nation’s highest peak, Mount Tabwemasana (6,165 ft.) is located in the west-central part of the island. In 1606, a Spanish expedition led by Portuguese explorer Pedro Fernandes de Queirós, established a settlement at Paradise Bay. The island boasts an extensive WWII history with many ruins and relics. Allied forces used the island as a military supply and support base, naval harbour, and airfield, and after the war they dumped most of their equipment and at what is now known as 'Million Dollar Point'. Years later, this became an important tourism destination for keen wreck divers. Of particular interest is the wreck of the SS President Coolidge, a converted luxury liner that hit a mine and sank during the war. Local traditions and customs are still very much a part of everyday life, and the people make their living by subsistence farming and fishing, tourism, or cash-crop farming of copra, cacao, kava and peanuts.

Unlike Espiritu Santo with its raised coral reefs and white sand, Ambrym is a volcanically active island with dark sand beaches. Ambrym is known as the island of magic and is the source of five local languages that all evolved on Ambrym. This handful of languages contributes to the well over 100 languages of Vanuatu. Some of Ambrym’s magic takes place in the lush greenery of the local community of Ranon. Here the people perform a very special and traditional ‘Rom’ dance. Participants prepare their masks and costumes in secrecy and the dance is reserved for special occasions.