After leaving Port Vila, we sailed to Havannah Harbour on the north side of Efate. We passed through the cut between Efate and Lelepa Island. Havannah Harbour is very well protected by Efate, Lelepa and Moso Islands and is a natural deep water place of refuge. This is where the US Navy staged the fleet for the turning point in the Pacific theater during World War II, the Battle of the Coral Sea. It was a beautiful spot. We took day trips to the beaches on Moso and Lelepa Islands. This area had been closed during the filming of Survivor Vanuatu. But, we were able to go there once they left. It was worth the wait. The photo above shows one of the gorgeous white sand beaches on Moso.
We anchored for several days at a place called Sema Bay between Moso and Efate. The natives of Moso Island would go by our anchorage spot every morning on their way to their gardens on Efate. They would stop and sell fresh vegetables and ask all sorts of questions about where we were from, etc. One day, we met the Chief of the main village on Moso. He was a very articulate and gracious man named David, pictured above. He had three daughters and no son. So, when he passes away, the title of chief will pass to his brother's family where there are sons.
This photograph shows one of the whitest beaches we saw in all of the South Pacific. It was a beautiful spot on Lelepa Island. Moso Island is off the photo to the left and the island in the background is Efate. The bay is Havannah Harbour. You had to put sunglasses on to walk this beach as the reflection of sunlight was extremely bright.
On the opposite side of Lelepa, there was a good view of Hat Island, a sacred spot in Vanuatu. It is here where the revered Roy Mata was buried in the 1400's. Roy Mata was an ancient high chief that united many of the tribes of Vanuatu in the early days. He was murdered by a jealous brother and his lower chiefs and their wives were buried with him. The lower chiefs were given large doses of kava so they really felt no pain in death. But, the women were not allowed to drink kava and must have suffered an awful death in tribute to their leader. Cannibalism was practiced in Vanuatu for many years. It was considered normal and a sign of strength to enjoy eating one's defeated adversary. In fact, it is reported that cases of cannibalism occurred as recently as the 1980's despite it having been outlawed years before. We didn't see any cannibals though! In fact, the people are very gentle and friendly today!
We met one of the local Lelepa natives on the beach and he showed us around to a cave not far away. He also showed us this interesting piece of artwork made from shells and trees on the beach. He told us that this beach is where the Survivor TV program held their challenges and the final challenge was done on Hat Island in the background of the picture above. He also said Survivor camps were on the beach we had passed the day before on our way to Havannah Harbour. And, he told us a man wins the $1 million prize. At this writing, the final show has not been aired. But, it does look like its possible he's right. The show is down to one man and three woman.
Havannah Harbour, Moso Island and Lelepa Island were very beautiful and interesting spots. But, we had heard a lot about Nguna Island, not far away. So, we left early one morning for the short three hour sail to Nguna and the marine reserve there. The anchorage at Nguna and Pele Islands is a bit exposed. So, we kept an eye on the weather and were comfortable we could get back to the safety of Havannah Harbour if anything nasty was forecast.
Click here to go on to Nguna Island.
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