8 July 2010
It has been a fascinating experience to come here to Tanna. Theirs is a culture steeped in tradition and our brief stopover enabled us to gain insight into life as removed from the civilised world as we know it. As visitors we got to see life in its purest form. On our third day out from Fiji, by mid morning we were at anchor in Resolution Bay, so named by Captain Cook when he arrived in HMS Resolution in 1774. WARC had arranged for us to clear in at the yacht club and they had set up a bank for currency exchange. Nick, Paul and Andrew Bishop of WARC were here as our support team. Nick, we last saw in Ecuador, Andrew had sailed aboard Crazy Horse from Musket Cove, Fiji. There, Andrew asked us which had been our favourite supported stopover. This was a difficult one and took some amount of hesitation on our part to come up with an answer. Finally we said Marquesas but only really because we had had the wonderful experience of visiting Fatu Hiva. There is no question that now we would answer differently. This has to be a highlight of our circumnavigation and right up there with the best of them.
Fire Mountain!
I refer to the active volcano of Mount Yasur, the most accessible one of its kind in the world. We booked a tour, although expensive at 5000Vatu, about 30GBP, it was one of the things we really came here to see. Leaving in a small fleet of 4WD's we bumped our way over very rough ground stopping at a village en route for local dancing. In a clearing of the forest, in front of a huge "Prince of the Forest" banyan tree, (Tanna claims to have the third biggest Banyan in the world near the main town of Lenakel), men appeared and performed their warlike tribal dance. The accent is very much on vigorous stamping of feet and singing. Following that a demonstration was given showing how to create a flame by rubbing two sticks together. On to the volcano, the rough track became deeply rutted. They had had torrential rain the previous week causing landslides and major soil erosion. In spite of that Sam drove us expertly to within a few hundred metres of the summit. Miriam, our guide amazed us by running up the steep incline and in her bare feet. (the majority of people in Tanna go barefooted). After that it was a short but steep uphill climb to the crater's edge. It growled and it roared as if there lurked a monster within its depths, every few minutes sending up a great puff of grey billowing smoke. Then a shower of magma would follow, its embers burning red hot in the sun. It was cold up there but we had been well briefed to wear long trousers and sweaters. As the sun went down the colours changed and it became like a firework display. Many islanders worship their volcano like a god believing in its powers of bringing rain when it is needed for the good yield of crops and in keeping away cyclones. Arriving back at the yacht club, Andrew had arranged for us to eat in the village restaurant which was an experience in itself. There is no electricity so we ate by candlelight. For just 700Vatu a head we ate lobster, chicken, fish and a large selection of locally grown vegetables, taro, semolina, yams and manioc, followed by dessert, a delicious concoction of papaya, banana and passion fruit. All this was washed down with jugs of sweet tasting water. We could help wondering if we were eating our own papaya donated a few hours earlier! The local village has 450 inhabitants housed in charming grass hut houses, palm leaves making a wind and water tight thatch roof. They blended with their surroundings so much more than the rather ugly breeze block and corrugated iron buildings we have seen so much of throughout the other Pacific islands. Every village community has a chief, who has to be the youngest of the family for longevity and he must be married. Families are large. Miriam was one of twelve! We were astonished to learn that 49% of the inhabitants are children. During our visit elderly people were conspicuous by their absence, although Miriam assured us that her grandmother had lived to the ripe old age of 102!
The origin of the species survives!
I couldn't believe it. There was my gecko hiding under a fender which we had left lashed to the deck. He is a survivor all right. I had first spotted him hiding under one the mooring lines when we were berthed in Port Denerau. We were in the process of washing Voyageur down with liberal amounts of water with the pressure hose. I saw him move, quick as a flash, to avoid what to him must have been the equivalent to white water rafting. I didn't have the heart to sluice him off the deck into the water. He was so tiny. This morning I was hosing the volcanic ash from our walking shoes, picked up during our visit to the volcano. Again he appeared in the sudden rush of water down the side deck to hang tenuously on to the dinghy warp tied to the stern cleat. He had survived a three day 476nm journey across the ocean and a rough one to boot. At least he had had the good sense to remain on the lee side. Our gecko has to be the bravest of all seafaring geckos.
Tanna welcomes WARC
Sixty WARC participants from a fleet of seventeen boats at anchor off the yacht club assembled on the beach at midday and from there we made our way to the perimeter of the village of Ireupuow where dozens of men women and children were gathered. We were entertained with wonderful exuberant singing and dancing. The men formed a tight knit group in the centre chanting and with the customary stamping of feet, the women circling around the outside of the ring jumping and leaping high in the air. Then forming a procession with Andrew leading the way, behind a group of musicians playing guitar, we walked to the yacht club for the presentation of gifts ceremony. Werry, Commodore, made a speech of welcome, followed by Johnson who acting in the chief's absence made his contribution as representative of the villagers. Andrew replied on behalf of WARC. Then the gifts were presented, the women and children laying down handmade baskets of fruit, woven baskets and feathered plumes. Now it was our turn. Andrew placed his gift of kava root, to be followed by each skipper in turn with donations from every yacht, everything from food tins, reading glasses, unwanted clothes, cutlery, cooking pots, warps, magazines, bedding, a drum of fuel, flippers, even an anchor! Then everything was divided up to be shared around. We had the remainder of the afternoon to enjoy a last walk on a huge expanse of white sand beach, followed by sundowners aboard Ciao. Olga and Srecko were celebrating the birth of their second grandson. We know how they felt, our first granddaughter being born during the previous circumnavigation. Then it was time to go ashore for the final part of our Tanna experience, a pig roast dinner. Tomorrow we leave for Efate, the administrative capital, 130nm to the north. The strong winds of the last week have gone. All is calm so it very much looks as though we will be motoring much of the way.
Tribute to Tanna
There can be no doubt that Tanna has left a huge impression on us. From what we could see it appears to be a classless society. They grow all their own fruit and vegetables and everything is shared between the families. Walking through the village, local people greeted us at every turn. A young boy was stripping bark from a branch with dazzling white teeth. A man shinned straight up a tree to in a matter of seconds to knock the fruit to the ground. We heard the agonising death throes of a pig being slaughtered for a feast, the distant call of a conch shell, used as a means of communication between families. These were just some of the sights and sounds of life on Tanna. It does not matter where you walk, sooner or later you will be "shadowed" by local children. They seem both curious and shy at the same time. David and I walked to the hot springs and suddenly found a family of four boys, keeping a discreet distance but near enough to not lose sight of us. It was not long before they had overtaken us and had become our little guides. The youngest was eating a crab, shell and all. They proudly showed us a boiling cauldron at the base of a steep ladder to the rocky shoreline and only then, released from their initial shyness were happy to pose for a photograph. Having nothing else we gave them some pocket money. This afternoon on our return from a long beach walk on the windward side of the island Tom fell into step with us. He was sixteen and as fine a looking young man that we had yet seen. His parents lived in Port Vila, 130nm away to the north and he was a boarder at the local school sharing a dormitory with 24 other children. He remained with us all the way to the shore where our tender was beached. I asked him if there was anything that he wanted. His answer came without any hesitation. I would love to see your boat. Oh, we were more than happy to grant such a simple request. I was reminded as soon as we switched on the cabin lights that they do not have the luxury of such a commodity ashore. I refrained from showing him the washing machine and dishwasher. In the face of what must have seemed to him such opulence it was simply too embarrassing. They have to pump water from a well. They do not appear to have any real sanitation. They cook using open fires and here we are on a boat with everything that works at a touch of a button. Tom had never seen a map of the world so I was thrilled that we had one, showed him where we had come from and traced our route around the globe, giving it to him to take away and show the others. It must be really hard for people like Tom to comprehend the life that we lead. Sometimes I cannot believe it myself. We are visitors but I sometimes wonder if we are seen as intruders. Does our presence here aboard all our expensive yachts breed a certain discontent in their minds? I sincerely hope not. It would appear that they are genuinely happy to see and welcome us. Coming here to Tanna has altogether been a very humbling experience, a unique and enriching one as well.
Susan Mackay
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