Vanuatu: Chilling out at Tanna

Cherylle Stone and husband Geoff chill out in one of the world's hotspots, the tiny island of Tanna in southern Vanuatu.

Tanna Island, in southern Vanuatu, is one of our favourite destinations. The landscape is awesome, the culture fascinating and the people most hospitable.

Geoff and I sailed from New Caledonia in our 13m catamaran, Subzero, in July 2007 for our second visit to Tanna. Because of the light winds for the first 20 hours our ETA at Port Resolution was going to be well after sunset. Even in daylight it can be tricky to dodge the protruding reefs and then find a good spot to anchor so Ð at 2100 hours Ð we stopped about 30nm south of the island, pulled the sails down, turned on the anchor light and AIS receiver and went to bed for a good eight-hour sleep on a glassy sea. During that time the current carted us nine miles closer to our destination.

Majestic mountains
As we made our way along the coast the next morning we marvelled at the majestic green mountains, stunning rock formations along the shoreline and the snippets of human habitation peeping out from behind lush troWe negotiated our way around the reef at the entrance and found a spot to anchor near the head of the bay. As usual the small swell was making some of the half dozen monohulls roll a bit but Subzero, with two hulls, sat happily.

It was not long before our friends from Sinai, one of five villages nestled around Port Resolution, spotted us and came on board. They were eager to inspect a mobile (walkabout) sawmill we had brought for them. The pieces Ð including a large chainsaw and 1.8m guide rail plus sundry spares Ð were wrapped and stashed in several parts of the boat, causing some speculation about how it all went together. The viewing of the accompanying DVD helped to answer some questions. Assembly and use of the gift would have to wait until we and the sawmill had cleared Customs.

Clearing in
Having arrived on a Friday, we organised a ride on the "transport" (a dual-cab ute) across Tanna to Lenekal on the west coast to complete customs and immigration formalities on the following Monday. Apart from the visit to Yasur volcano, the "clearing in" trip to Lenekal is an experience not to be missed. Vehicles travel at a sedate speed of 20km per hour on a "road" stretching 40km across the island through verdant forest and gardens, past small villages, skirting around Yasur and across its ash plain (where the speed increases to 40km per hour), over the central mountain spine and down to the west coast to a bustling town. For much of the journey we encountered groups of people fixing the deeply pot-holed road with various hand tools. Apparently the government provides funds to each village to pay for the annual upkeep of the road and it was that time of year for everyone to be involved in the community project.

Lenekal
The first stop is always the Lenekal post office/bank, which changes cash dollars to vatu but does not have any EFTPOS facilities.

On our first visit, in 2005, we had found the customs, immigration and quarantine officers all sharing the Customs office in the middle of Lenekal, but this time we and another pair of cruisers had to walk from the customs office a couple of kilometres up the hill to Isangel to the immigration and quarantine offices. The diversion cut into our shopping time but enabled us to take in the sights and sounds of the place. It was particularly busy that day because two inter-island ships were unloading and all manner of goods, ranging from cars to mattresses and processed food, were being carried from the wharf.

There are about 15 small shops in the town, selling mostly Chinese manufactures and food. A highlight was a visit to the butcher, where the warm, red carcass of a freshly slaughtered bullock was carried in through the back door. With no refrigeration, plenty of flies and high temperatures, it pays to get rid of the meat quickly. The butcher cuts off a chunk and holds it up for the clientele to inspect. Someone in the crowd of 15 or so says "yes", the piece is thrown on the scales and the transaction completed. It would be helpful for prospective clients to know Ð or have with them Ð a plan of the cuts of meat on a beast if they are to have any chance of getting a tender piece.

We wanted five kilos of flour and some yeast for Sinai village. The smallest bag was 25kg. It went into the ute along with 500gm of yeast.

Fresh produce
There is a good fresh produce market in the centre of town, which has an excellent range of fruit and veggies, including large quantities of taro, kumara, coconuts, bundles of bok choy, paw paw, bananas and whatever else is in season. When we visited, small, sweet mandarins and peanuts were all the go.

Having had a dose of retail therapy, eaten some "local" bread and listened to the health workers promote family planning using a megaphone in "central square", we bounced back to Port Resolution and waited a couple of days for the customs officer to come out to look at the sawmill and assess the amount of GST (12.5 percent on all new items) we must pay before we could take it ashore.

Hot springs
During this time we organised with Yanekahi Village at the head of the bay to revisit the hot springs along the shoreline, nearby steam vents and hot mud pools, find out about the plants, paint our faces with warm multi-coloured clay and listen to stories and history of the area. As he passed a hot spring on the walk out of the village, our host threw in a hand of plantain bananas. When we returned we ate the cooked bananas, which tasted like potatoes. On another day we boiled a large crayfish (bought for about $5) in one of the hot pools, thus saving precious gas and avoiding having a messy pot to wash.

The people in this village have close connections with the John Frum (Cargo Cult) movement and will guide interested tourists to Friday night ceremonies near Sulphur Bay. We did not have time to go but will consider visiting when we return in 2009. Participation involves an arduous five-kilometre walk over a steep hill in the late afternoon and an overnight stay in basic conditions.

Yasur
We worked through the laborious process of booking transport to take us for another look at Yasur. Since our first visit two years before, the limited transport services seem to be under greater pressure from an increasing number of tourists clamouring to visit the volcano. It took several days to get two seats through the yacht club.

Yasur volcano is a 10km ride from the anchorage on the road to Lenekal. One or two lucky passengers may get a seat in the front but for most it is a bone-shaking, numbing bounce in the back. The vehicles stop about 100m short of the summit on a rock-strewn moonscape. From there the guide escorts his charges up a path, where they sit or stand on the very edge of the trembling caldera to watch the red molten rock hubble and bubble no more than 50m below.

The guide warned us not to turn our backs on the hot rocks and to keep them in sight always in case we had to run backwards or dodge sideways. He said we were quite safe if we stayed near him because he and the volcano were "speaking together". Yeah, right.

As darkness descends, the display becomes more vivid, the earth movement seems more violent and the wind strengthens as the heat of the volcano draws in the cooler air. It is not surprising that most locals avoid this eerie, scary, cold, windy netherworld, believing the spirits of their dead ancestors reside therein.

Cruising friends told us that when they visited, a spray of hot rocks exploded over the crowd and one tourist broke her ankle as she scrambled out of the way. Because medical facilities everywhere in Vanuatu are basic, she became a medivac back to Australia. The guide told us that the year before a car-sized rock had landed beside a pedestrian on the track and "barbecued" him before he could escape. After an hour, we decided the action was getting a bit close and returned to the vehicles. As we looked back we saw a shower of red rocks explode over the spot where we had been standing.

Timber and tea parties
Eventually the customs officer arrived at the boat. After some conversation, an inspection of the goods and perusal of receipts, he declared that the GST should be handed over on shore, in public, so that all would know that the transaction was legal. This done, it was back to the boat with helpers to offload the machinery and carry it a kilometre up the road to Sinai village on the plateau overlooking the bay. Then followed 10 days of training interspersed with a range of social activities and much fun, including coming to grips with basic Bislama, the national language. The equipment enables the village, an extended family consisting of grandpa and grandma, eight children and their spouses and children, to mill fallen timber on their land Ð and for their neighbours Ð rather than leaving it to rot. The enterprise provides a valuable source of cash when the sawn timber is sold locally to make furniture and for building the burgeoning supply of bungalows for tourist accommodation.

While Geoff worked with the men to develop safe practices, maintenance and milling skills, I organised for small groups of women and children to visit the boat. Most had never been on the water in a canoe let alone aboard a yacht. Cake, coffee and cordial were consumed and dropped on the cockpit floor in large quantities. The cockpit carpet looked as if the groups had enjoyed a really good party - which they had. When everyone was safely on shore, the carpet was tied on a long rope and sent for a saltwater swim for a couple of hours. After that all it needed was a freshwater rinse. The mess was a small price to pay for the joy of interacting with the women who, in Vanuatu, tend to remain in the background.

Lee shore
Port Resolution is not the best place to be if the wind swings north or west. Northerlies turn the anchorage into a lee shore and westerlies deposit Yasur's fine, black, gritty ash on everything. After one day of a light nor'wester, the deck was covered in grit and so was everything inside the boat that was under open, albeit, screened hatches. Had we not had commitments on shore - or if the wind had been stronger - we could have sailed 40nm south to an anchorage at Aneityum Island, which is well sheltered from northerlies.

On our last day at Tanna, we took the men of Sinai village for a sail on the boat. Chief Iata (grandpa) arrived with his trolling line and, almost before we had the anchor up, had payed it out. We also trolled the boat line and hooked up two small bonito. Iata managed to land his but whoever was in charge of the other line lost theirs. We sailed down the coast for about six miles so that they could survey their land from seaward.

Some watched a DVD. The most action-packed one we could find was Kokoda to which the viewers gave a fairly low approval rating. We gather there was too much talking and not enough shooting and killing.

We departed reluctantly from Port Resolution after Geoff's 60th birthday party, which consisted of a huge feast, singing, dancing and a candle-decked chocolate cake. His favourite present is a beautiful grass skirt which he will wear with pride when we return to Port Resolution in 2009.

AUTHORS BIO. Cherylle and Geoff cruised Vanuatu for four months in their 13m Grainger catamaran, Subzero. They hail from Port Stephens in NSW.

SOCIAL CONVENTIONS
Although Ni Vanuatu are very tolerant of the foibles of their foreign guests, adherence to a few simple rules will enable you to avoid giving offence.

1. It is Melanesian custom to be generous in giving gifts of food. Usually, only a short time after you anchor, a canoe will approach your boat and you will be offered bananas, coconut or pawpaw as a "gift". Accept it and use the opportunity to find out who the chief is and when and where it would be appropriate to come ashore. We keep a stash of small tins of meat, sugar, powdered milk or coffee to give in return for getting the lay of the land.

2. Always ask permission before wandering through a village. Because there are no signs to show which areas are tabu, the chief or his representative will allocate a guide, particularly if you want to walk longer distances. Always stick to the path or road unless you have permission to deviate.

3. If you wish to buy fresh produce, it is best to ask the chief. If what you are asking for is available, he will organise for you to purchase it for cash or "trade" (barter).

4. Unlike in Asia where haggling is the norm, there is no bargaining in Vanuatu. If you are unwilling to pay the price asked, just say "no thank you". On rare occasions the seller may come back with a counter offer but usually the price is fixed.

5. It is customary for you present a small gift to the chief at the first meeting.

6. All land and whatever is growing on it is owned by somebody. Do not gather food along the roadside. The same applies to reefs and coastal waters. Always seek permission to swim, fish, snorkel or dive. Sometimes you will be asked to pay a small fee. In some places you may be advised not to swim because of the danger of becoming shark tucker.

7. You do not pay anchoring fees to the villages. All foreign vessels pay port dues to Customs at their final port of departure. In 2007 this was about 120 vatu ($1.20) per day.

8. Ni Vanuatu have conservative dress codes. It is disrespectful to wear skimpy clothes in most rural areas.

9. Most people speak three languages Ð Bislama, their local language and English or French.

Useful references
* Nautical Rocket Guide to Cruising Vanuatu by Richard Chester and Frederique Lesne www.cruising-vanuatu.com
* South Pacific Anchorages by Warwick Clay, (2001).
* Yacht Miz Mae's Guide to Vanuatu 2nd ed (1998) by Nicola Rhind.
* World Cruising Handbook, World Cruising Routes and the Noonsite website by Jimmy Cornell www.noonsite.com
* Vanuatu by Lonely Planet www.lonelyplanet.com.au/upgrades
* A New Bislama Dictionary (2nd ed) by Terry Crowley available from the University of the South Pacific.

Weather
Weather forecasts are available in English via email from the Vanuatu Meteorological Service by sending a request to forecast@meteo.gov.vu Spoken forecasts on HF radio are only given in Bislama.