Lautoka to Apra

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.

Pentecost Island is a lush mountainous tropical island stretching over 37 miles from north to south. It was named after the day on which the first European Louis Antoine de Bougainville sighted it on 22 May 1768. There are no towns on Pentecost - most of the islanders live in small villages and grow their own food in small gardens. Local traditions are strong including the age-old ritual of land diving. This unique ritual was first given international exposure by David Attenborough in 1960. Later in the 1980s New Zealander AJ Hackett used the idea to invent bungee jumping. Every harvest season from April to June the people of southern Pentecost construct the towers around a lopped tree using saplings and branches held together with forest vines. It can take up to five weeks to complete. Each young man who jumps must carefully select his own liana vine. Men and boys as young as seven jump from platforms at different heights (between30 and 90 feet) with only those vines attached to their ankles. The intention is to touch the ground with their heads or shoulders. This ceremony is believed to ensure a good yam harvest. It is also a fertility rite for men.

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.

Marovo Lagoon is one of the world’s largest saltwater lagoons. Described by American author James A. Michener as, “one of the seven natural wonders of the world,” Marovo is home to a double barrier reef system, and is one of two sites in the Solomon’s currently under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. Residents of Marovo Lagoon make elegant woodcarvings that are often for sale on the shoreline. Marovo is also renowned as one of the best diving and snorkeling spots on the planet.

The volcanic island of Garove is part of the Witu Islands and once had a 5-kilometer-wide (3.1 miles) caldera. The island was historically used to produce copra and cocoa and in fact still is today. Most of the villages are located around the exterior of the volcano. Steep cliffs explain why there is only one area settled on the inside. A promontory at the entrance’s southwestern corner is taken up by the school and the catholic church of the village of Widu the only village inside the caldera.

Kapingamarangi is the most southerly atoll of the CarolineIslands and thereby also the most southerly of Pohnpei State. Closer to NewIreland, PNG than to Pohnpei, Kapingamarangi is one of the few Polynesianoutliers in the western Pacific. The atoll and its lagoon cover an area of morethan 70 square kilometers, but the combined land of the 33 islets on thelagoon’s eastern side is only 1.1 square kilometer. Three of these islets arehome to the roughly 500 residents of Kapingamarangi. Touhou, the smallest ofthe three, has the largest population and is connected to larger Ueru(sometimes spelt Welua) by a zigzagging causeway. Just south of Touhou –andslightly bigger- is Taringa (Taarin) which has the smallest group of residents.In total there are some 500 people living on Kapingamarangi, but more live in thevillage of Porakiet on Pohnpei where they were given land by the formerJapanese administration in 1919. The Greenwich Passage with its two narrow channels on theatoll’s southern side permits small ships to enter, and in the late 19thcentury trade with Rabaul (then German New Guinea) was started. Under theJapanese administration a few islets close to the channels were used to house asmall radio tower, barracks and two temporary piers for seaplanes on thelargest islet. The wreck of an American Liberator bomber, “WWII’s unluckiestplane”, is found in 20-30 feet depth in the lagoon. A few islets still featureunder their Japanese names.

Nukuoro is Pohnpei’s second most southerly atoll some 480kilometers southwest of the island of Pohnpei. The nearly circular atoll with adeep central lagoon has some 46 islets on the almost unbroken reef surroundingthe 40 square kilometer lagoon. It is said that at low tide it was possible towalk from one islet to the other without getting wet. Some of these islets arenot natural, but man-made by building up pieces of coral on the lagoon side ofshallow reef areas as seawalls, having them filled with sand by the ocean andeventually bringing soil to use them for gardening. The combined landmass ofall these islets is 1.7 square kilometers and the largest of these islets closeto the channel into the lagoon, Nukuoro Island, is also the administrativecenter.  This main islet has a village spreadalong the lagoon side with a population of roughly 400 residents, although severalhundred Nukuorans live on Pohnpei, the main island of the state.While formerly Nukuoro’s inhabitants had to beself-sufficient subsistence farmers with taro patches and other gardens locatedat the center of their island, or were fishermen, for the last 20 years pearlfarming has been tried on a small scale.

Pohnpei (also known as Ponape) is the largest island in the Eastern Caroline Archipelago and the national capital of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM). The State of Pohnpei is one of four that comprise the FSM, along with the islands of Chuuk, Kosrae and Yap. Unlike other Micronesian islands, volcanic Pohnpei boasts tropical jungles, mist-covered mountains, mangrove swamps and exotic flora. Abundant rainfall feeds streams, rivers and tumbling waterfalls. Pohnpei’s most prominent landmarks include Sokeh’s Rock, a steep, 800-foot (244-metre) volcanic outcrop overlooking the harbour; the town of Kolonia; and Nan Madol, the mysterious, ancient stone city that is Micronesia’s best known archaeological site and often called the “Venice of the Pacific”. Built on 100 man-made islets by the legendary Saudeleur kings, the ruins can be visited by boat from Kolonia, but require a permit and a guide. The main town of Kolonia boasts such historical sites as the remnants of the Spanish Wall, built in 1889 as a boundary for Fort Alphonso XII; the Catholic Mission Bell Tower, part of the old German church torn down by the Japanese during World War II; the Lidorkini Museum, an occasional Japanese tank, and the Japanese Shrine. When exploring around the island, bird watchers may be able to spot the endemic Pohnpei fantail and Pohnpei flycatcher. Pier Information The ship is scheduled to dock at Dekehtik Port, Pier #4 in Kolonia. The town is within walking distance. Non-metered taxis are available upon call. We recommend establishing the fare before leaving the pier area. Shopping Handicrafts and souvenir items can be found in shops around Kolonia and Kapinga Village. Most shops are open from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. The local currency is the U.S. dollar. Cuisine Polynesian and Micronesian dishes as well as the typical American fast food can be found in a variety of eateries and hotel restaurants around Kolonia. Other Sites Explore the island’s capital and see its major points of interest including the Cultural Center. The main attraction is the archaeological site of Nan Madol, reached via a boat trip. For independent sightseeing, it is best to use taxis.

Chuuk Lagoon, formerly known as Truk Lagoon, is the mainisland of Chuuk State –with more than 36,000 residents the largest of the fourstates making up the Federated States of Micronesia. Located at the center ofthe Caroline Islands, the reef protecting the lagoon has a length of more than220 kilometers with 41 islets on it, while 57 islands and islets are foundwithin the lagoon. The capital Weno is on Weno, one of the two larger ofseveral other volcanic islands in the lagoon, hence the local name of Chuuk(mountain). Since none of the islands actually carries the name Chuuk, thelagoon and islands are commonly known as Chuuk Islands.Some 1600 years before the Spaniards first saw and thenclaimed Chuuk Lagoon, Micronesian had already established themselves on two ofthe islands. The Caroline Islands were sold to Germany in 1899 as a result ofthe Spanish-American War and later turned over to Japan as a mandated territoryafter WWI. The natural harbor created by the reef had been used by the Japanesenavy during WWII as its largest forward naval base with submarine repair shopsand a communication center. In addition to airstrips and seaplane bases,infrastructure for the more than 44,000 Japanese troops stationed there had beenset up. To divers Chuuk Lagoon is one of the highlights in the Pacific becauseit contains a ghost fleet: during “Operation Hailstorm” 44 Japanese ships weresunk by American carrier-based planes.

Guam is blessed with spectacular natural beauty and a rich cultural history. Apra Harbor is a deep-water port located on the western side of the island. The island is part of the Mariana Islands and near the Mariana Trench which is the deepest part of the earth’s oceans and the deepest location of the earth itself. The port serves both as a U.S. naval station and Guam’s main commercial port. The harbour formed by the Orote Peninsula to the south and Cabras Island in the north is considered to be one of the best natural ports in the Pacific. Guam’s unique culture traditions and heritage have remained intact despite European imperialism wars and changing foreign governments. Archaeological evidence suggests that the indigenous Chamorros of Indo-Malayan descent migrated from the Southeast Asian islands and settled throughout the Marianas archipelago. Being expert seamen and skilled craftsmen they flourished and built unique houses and canoes suited to the region. As a matriarchal society and through the prestige of the women much of the Chamorro culture and traditions were able to survive. Since the 16th century a wave of foreigners have arrived on Guam’s shores including Ferdinand Magellan in 1521 who remained on the island for three days to restock his small convoy. Americans Asians Europeans Micronesians and other visitors have since left their imprint on the island’s pastimes and tastes.