ATW - Day 30

Sunday, day 29, we were in Mystery Island, Vanuatu.  Vanuatu is the 100th country that we have visited!  As we approached the island, it was cloudy with a bit of rain - just enough for a rainbow.  

It was also windy so we worried that we might not be able to stop there since it was a tender port.  Thankfully, things cleared up and we made it!  Here's what the island looked like in the morning:

Here's what it looked like in the afternoon:

 

The island is quite small - only 2/3 of a mile long and 200 yards wide.  In the 40's, the U.S. constructed an airstrip on the island that is almost impossible to see from the sea.  Hence the name Mystery Island.  Today, no one lives on the island but it offers beaches and coral reefs.  When cruise ships are in, people come from the mainland to work.  We took Mystery Island Drift Snorkel excursion.  After tendering ashore, we received our gear and a briefing before taking a boat to the first drop off point.  We drifted with the current, enjoying the fish and coral, until we reached the spot where the boat picked us up.  We then went to another drop off point and drifted in a different area.  It was all quite good.  No photos since we had to leave everything behind before we got on the boat.  We had done drift snorkeling before (I don't remember where) and we agree that it was better that time.  It was a more defined channel that we drifted through that time making it easier to see things.

After the snorkeling, we walked around the whole island.  It didn't take long.

Fortunately, I did not have to use the toilet.

They have planted some interesting flora along the way.

And more walking trees.

We did get to see the airstrip from both ends and the airport terminal!

Sunday we were in Noumea, New Caledonia which is a French territory.  It was certainly a more developed city than those we have been to recently.  Being Easter Monday, most everything was closed which was okay for us since we are not shoppers.

But we were disappointed that the local market was closed.

In the morning, we went for a walk along the waterfront.  It was overcast which made for comfortable walking.

Then we walked up to the Place des Cocotiers which was a nice long park with interesting statues and totems.

In the afternoon, we had booked an excursion to Duck Island, which, upon review, indicated that it was essentially a zodiac boat ride to the island and then 2+ hours on the beach.  We opted to cancel that and take it easy.  Besides, we saw tropical fish as we walked along the marina in the morning.

Now, on Day 31, we are on our first of 2 days at sea until we reach Sydney, Australia.

Peace and blessings,

Linda and Larry