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Misto - Days 156-159: June 12-15 Vanua Balavu, Lau Group



Following the waypoints around the island, and keeping a sharp lookout for rocks and reefs, we made our way north to Mbvatu Harbor. Rather like a fjord, this deep anchorage is surrounded by steep, undercut cliffs covered in vegetation. After a couple of abortive attempts at anchoring in slightly shallower water we dropped all our chain in around 65' of water. That evening we had a great party aboard Exit Strategy.

Early the next morning we set off in the dinghy to the jetty on the far side of the anchorage. There we climbed a winding staircase of about 350 steps up the hillside. At the top the devastation wrought by cyclone Winston was apparent, with many downed coconut trees and others just stripped of their vegetation. On the advice of a local lady we followed a path across the plateau and on up the hillside to a viewpoint. Here we had a stupendous view out over the Bay of Islands - well worth the walk. We returned passed the small local store, the Sometimes Store, as it only has any goods sometimes! Here we signed the visitors book.

Back on board we continued around the north of Vanua Balavu and down to the village of Daliconi. Here that evening we had a wonderful cultural experience. We saw the Sevusveu ceremony where a gift of Kava root is presented to the village chief. We enjoyed singing and dancing from several local groups, including the primary school and we presented the gifts we had brought for the school. A wonderful meal of local fish, crab, lobster, and suckling pig was provided by the village. Its difficult to put into words how educative and enjoyable this evening was - it was a true taste of local culture. The following morning we went to visit the local primary school. They still do not have their permanent structures re built following cyclone Winston and they are managing in two small buildings, minus windows, to teach around 30 children aged 3-14. Three classes are together in one room and the eldest class and the kindergarten are in the other building. All classes are taught in English and standards seemed high with the children all neatly dressed in school uniform and well behaved. This was another wonderful opportunity to understand more about the local life and culture.

We then moved up to the Bay of Islands. This beautiful area is a mass of small undercut rock islands with great anchoring opportunities sheltered from the prevailing winds. Here we spent two nights, relaxing and exploring some of the smaller coves with the dinghy. Howard tried snorkeling but the visibility was a little disappointing and there are lots of small jelly fish in the water.



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