Cruisy memories

Our 11-day cruise to New Caledonia and Vanuatu is officially over. We sailed into Sydney Habour shortly after 5:30am this morning and docked at the Overseas Passenger Terminal half an hour later. When we pulled back the blinds in our cabin we were greeted by blue skies and sunshine flooding Campbell Cove. 

We finished off our cruise with a complimentary breakfast courtesy of our Premium Key pass before finally disembarking. I have to say, the menu on offer was probably the best we'd seen for breakfast during our entire cruise.

It's been an awesome vacation.  We've both returned rested and relaxed. I knew I'd finally unwound after spending the afternoon napping yesterday.  Those who know me well will testify that I rarely nap during the day.

We also met some fabulous people on board including a young couple, Basil (Baz) and Gabrielle (Gaby). We dined together one night and met for lengthy cocktail sessions on three other nights. This ambitious couple met five years ago but most of their relationship thus far has been a long-distance affair. Gaby is British and thus was shut out of Australia for several years during the COVID-19 pandemic. She finally relocated to Sydney in July last year. 

Baz and Gaby were fascinated by our decision to walk away from a corporate career track to run our own business. Apparently, they have ambitions to set up their own business. As a result, they quizzed us endlessly for plenty of hints and tips from our own experience. It was very reaffirming to think that our life's journey over the last decade is inspiring others.

The remainder of this post is a montage of images that caught my eye during our final days onboard. This includes a stunning sunset as we sailed away from Lifou, the incredibly blue hue of the Tasman Sea, and Belinda Marks, the evening headline act on Day 8. Belinda was simply outstanding. It's not often you hear someone sing pitch-perfect classics from the likes of Witney Houston, Tina Turner, Dusty Springfield, and Dolly Parton.

Belinda was easily the best act we saw onboard. The previous night we'd watched a Big Band show tune tribute. Sadly, while the stage set looked the part, the artists involved were very average and were often out of tune. However, the Australian comedian, Michael Shafar, we saw on Day 1 and again on Day 4 was another highlight. Likewise, the Tango Dance Spectacular on Day 4, headlined by a talented South American couple, and the Jazz ensemble on Day 5 were also memorable.

We met Michael at lunch one afternoon. He gave us some great tips on where to enjoy live comedy in London. As a result, we've booked an evening at Top Secret, a hot new comedy venue, while we're in town later this month. Stay tuned for our critic's review.

The image above shows the roughest seas we encountered during the entire cruise. On Day 10 we experienced a two-metre swell and moderate winds. This created a subtle roll on board the boat and generated small white caps out to the horizon.  However, as you can, the sea remained remarkably flat. In essence, we enjoyed smooth sailing for 11 days and thus had no use for the sea sickness tablets we'd brought with us. 

Finally, a shout-out for one of the artistic highlights of our cruise. A menagerie of towel animals appeared in our cabin during turn-down each night. By the end of the cruise, we'd been progressively greeted by a peacock, an anteater, a rabbit, a swinging monkey, and an elephant.

NOTE: 10 January

Poor Garry has tested positive for COVID overnight. I've tested negative and feel fine.  However, Garry is feeling poorly and has taken to his bed. He did get a booster shot about 14 days before we sailed. Unfortunately, it looks like he left it too late to secure full immunity before we sailed. I caught COVID in late November which appears to have boosted my defences.

NOTE: 18 January

Garry is finally on the road to recovery after a rather lethargic week. I’ve continued to test negative. We’re all good to go for our flight to London this evening. No doubt Garry will sleep most of the way!

Drama on the high seas

Our cruise was scheduled to visit a fifth port called Mystery Island. This is an idyllic sandy atoll located just off the coast of Aneityum, the southernmost island in the Vanuatu archipelago. However, shortly after leaving Luganville, this port call was cancelled when a passenger experienced a “medical incident” requiring urgent evacuation to a hospital.

Our boat initially diverted to Port Vila, but soon after announcing news of this unscheduled stop, the captain decided to sail directly to Noumea. As a result, we spent an extra day at sea before reverting to our original itinerary on Lifou Island. While disappointing, the diversion resulted in a second scenic transit through the narrow strait of Canal Woodin and along New Caledonia’s southern coast. 

The images above were taken during the more scenic parts of our diversion, while the map shows our subsequent return to schedule. The relocation route was a curious one. I suspect the captain was buying some time to ensure we didn’t arrive too early in Lifou.

The passenger transfer eventually took place just outside the entrance to Noumea harbour. It was fascinating to watch it unfold. The captain turned the ship so that its gangway entrance on Level 2 was sheltered from the prevailing wind. He then held this position using the ship’s bow and stern thrusters. This skilful manoeuvre resulted in remarkably calm waters forming alongside the vessel. 

The patient was then evacuated by wheelchair using a temporary pontoon platform normally reserved for tender transfers. In a final touching gesture, passengers like myself who’d watched the drama unfold spontaneously applauded as the Noumea Coastguard rescue boat pulled away.

Garry and I had originally booked a cultural excursion to a local Melanesian village on Aneityum. However, after regularly quizzing our guides on earlier excursions, I don’t think we’ve missed much regarding tribal life in Vanuatu. The cruise company subsequently refunded our excursion fees. We’re not complaining. This credit all but covered the cost of a spa treatment we enjoyed earlier in the cruise.

During the diversion to Noumea, we experienced our own “medical incident”. As we returned from breakfast we were greeted by our cabin attendant. He explained that a rather bedraggled, sickly looking, seabird had been found on our balcony. A quick Google search confirmed it was a White-tailed Tropicbird. They're easily identified by a slim tail feather that extends almost three times the length of their body.

A short time later, the ship’s “bird man” arrived. He scooped the forlorn bird into his hands and removed it from our balcony. However, I have no idea what happened next. Although, as Garry rightly noted, “The guy’s hardly going to wring its neck in front of passengers.” A fair point.

Life in Lifou

Lifou, the largest of the Loyalty Islands, was our final port of call today. Our cruise ship anchored offshore in Santal Bay. After a leisurely breakfast, we caught a tender to shore and spent a couple of hours exploring the village of Easo. Initially, misting rain sent the humidity soaring making for a rather sweaty, steamy walk.

Our first stop was a small chapel called Notre Dame de Lourdes. It sits high on a bluff overlooking the bay and is crowned by a cast iron statue of the Virgin Mary. A sign at the entrance says the statute weighs more than two tonnes. Despite the humidity, the sweaty, 800-metre walk and final hill climb were well worth the effort. The views of the coastline were spectacular, including a rather Instagram-worthy view of our ship.

According to a sign in the vestibule, the roof of the church, statue, and all, lifted off during a cyclone in 1880. The roof was eventually located on the floor of the bay by divers and hauled back to its rightful location which must have been quite a feat. The statue, which fell into the chapel, seemed to survive the ordeal unscathed. However, the salty sea air is taking its toll as sections of the Virgin are covered in rust.

We then made our way in the opposite direction to an impressive white-rendered Catholic Church called Eglise Catholique ne Drehu. A bilingual sign outside explained the history of the building. Apparently, the stone used in its construction comes from stalactites and stalagmites extracted from nearby caves more than ten metres below ground. Unfortunately, the church doors were locked so we made our way back to the landing pier. 

The heavens opened up shortly after returning to the pier. For almost 15 minutes it bucketed down. Garry and I briefly debated abandoning our pre-booked excursion to Luecila Beach on the opposite side of the island. However, we decided it was worth the drive if only to see more of the island and its local life. I’m glad we didn’t let the weather beat us as the rain cleared during the thirty-minute trip to the beach.

Luecila Beach was another spectacular destination. Its crystalline white sands arc around the vibrant azure waters of Chateaubriand Bay. We spent a couple of hours swimming in the warm tropical waters and resting in the shade. It really was the perfect way to finish our cruise through the Coral Sea.

While we were at Luecila Beach, I took a walking tour with one of the locals through the neighbourhood village of We. He explained that Lifou is home to about 10,000 people, who belong to 37 tribes led by a local chief. The largest of these is in We with approximately 700 members. The island’s tribes are also grouped into three administrative districts, each led by a Grand Chief.

Our local guide shared some fascinating stories about tribal law and the administration of community justice. He also explained how most families still build and maintain a traditional, conical thatched hut alongside their modern homes. 

Likewise, many families still sleep overnight in them, especially during the warmer months. However, our guide’s family doesn’t use his hut as much as they used to. As his kids have grown older they want their privacy and prefer spending time on the internet.

The building of each family’s traditional hut is a community affair. Our guide told us that he’d recently rebuilt his own hut. The work was undertaken by the entire community and took five days to complete. In return, all he and his wife had to do was keep everyone fed and hydrated. 

One final fun fact. You can always tell which hut is owned by one of the three Grand Chiefs. Their hut has an entrance with a twin doorway. One door is for the exclusive use of the chief and his family. The second is used by visitors and local villagers coming to pay their respects. We saw one of these double door huts from the bus while driving to the beach.

Relics of war

Today’s port of call was Luganville. Weeks ago Garry and I booked ourselves onto a local tour showcasing relics from the Second World War. Our research revealed that the island of Espiritu Santo became a front line logistics hub for the Americans as they initially fought to contain the Japanese and then later, liberate the neighbouring Solomon Islands.

Almost overnight Luganville was transformed into a massive forward base for the American forces. Known as Button Base, it included four separate airfields, five military hospitals, a seaplane base, pontoon wharf, a floating dry dock, a barracks village, and thousands of Quonset huts. At its peak the base hosted more than 100,000 troops, with more than a hundred vessels anchored in its deep and sheltered harbour. 

Building all of this infrastructure required tens of thousands of tonnes of equipment to be shipped to Luganville. By the end of the war, 9 million tonnes of equipment had been shipped there and over 500,000 servicemen and women had spent some time on Espiritu Santo.

Today’s minivan tour introduced us to several infamous locations east of the township. This included a coral reef where the American troop carrier, SS President Coolidge, ran aground after hitting mines in the harbour on 26 October 1942. We were surprised to discover glass and pottery fragments from the shipwreck along the shoreline. The embossed base of bottles and pieces of crockery were clearly identifiable among the sand and coral remnants.

Our tour also visited the infamous Million Dollar Point. This landmark got its name after the Americans dumped millions of dollars worth of military equipment into the sea. As the Americans demobilised, its residual goods—everything from weaponry to bottles of Coca-Cola—were offered to the French and British at a very low price, 6 cents to the dollar. 

However, the Europeans rejected the offer believing the U.S. military would ultimately have to leave everything behind for free. The Americans were not impressed. To spite the British and French, the army drove all of its vehicles, food, clothing, drinks, and other equipment to a temporary wharf on the southern coast of the island. 

It then drove every vehicle into the sea, used bulldozers to dump the rest of its supplies over the edge of the wharf, and then drove the bulldozers into the sea. Over a two-day period, this insanely wilful act ensured that the Europeans never got their hands on the items, free or otherwise.

Today, the rusting remnants of this mechanical graveyard lie scattered along the shoreline and in the pounding surf.  It’s probably one of the oddest war relics I’ve ever encountered. During our visit to the point, we saw a few cruise passengers on another tour snorkelling around the rusting hulks located ten metres or so offshore. We also discovered dozens of miniature hermit crabs crawling through the shoreline wreckage. These tiny creatures have dull green shells and are less than a centimetre long.

Our tour guide was a fascinating woman. She’s the descendant of an Australian black birding victim. She shared the story of how her great-grandfather returned from his time as an indentured servant, bringing the Christian faith with him to her home island of Ambae.

After the tour, we stopped to listen to a local group playing native musical instruments on the dock. They were raising funds for disabled members of the local community. We’d seen several of these instruments on display in the National Museum yesterday so it was awesome to finally hear them being played.

NOTE:  7 January

We were scheduled to visit Mystery Island after our day in Luganville.  However, a medical emergency onboard our ship saw us skip this port. You can read more about our revised itinerary here.