29 Oct 2014

Espiritu Santo

The day started early for the birders, who were ashore at 0500 ready for their visit to the Vathe Conservation Area. By all accounts they had a successful morning with the highlight being a fantastic view of a Vanuatu Kingfisher. The rest of the party were ashore on Champagne Beach (below) at 0730 and appropriately enjoying this beautiful stretch of dazzling pure white sand with a glass of champagne in hand. It was a great way to start the day and what a beautiful beach! Being early birds we had the place to ourselves as some chose to swim and snorkel from the beach while others wandered inland. The snorkelling was surprisingly good with a large school of fusiliers escorting us in and out of the bay. All too soon it was time to drag ourselves away from this beautiful spot so we could explore the rest of Santo.

With all back aboard the Spirit of Enderby we sailed south to Oyster Island while Suzanne told us about the initiation ceremonies in Melanesia. After lunch it was time to head ashore for our tour of Luganville and the surrounding area. With stops including Million Dollar Point and the Luganville markets it was an action packed afternoon of history before a brief stop back at the ship for swimming gear. We made our way up the winding Metevulu River which is surrounded by lush forest to the famous Metevulu Blue Hole with its crystalline blue waters and overhanging forest. Most of the group went for a refreshing swim and a surprising number also tackled the rope swing before it was time to turn our Zodiac bows towards home and conclude a very busy and rewarding day.