Time-travelling in Vanuatu

TIME TRAVEL: Vanuatu's unspoilt landscape is like taking a peek at how things used to be.

Relevant offers

Pacific Islands

Sailing through the tropics Smart way to explore Polynesia Remote corner of French Polynesia Vanuatu's simple pleasures Kingdom of the humpbacks Fiji's triple resort Green ambition in the deep blue Tahiti by 'truk' and tramp steamer Keeping the faith Fiji balloon adventure falls short

It's like stepping back in time; a lifestyle uncomplicated by cars, mobile phones, credit cards, computers - so different from today's world of noise, bustle and confusion.

It is an area of peace and quiet where a person can actually speak to their travelling companion without the need to shout.

There have been many stories and dreams about the idyllic South Pacific islands and the small land mass called Wala fits all of the requirements.

This visit is the last stop in a leisurely 10-day cruise on the 70,310 tonne P&O liner Pacific Jewel which takes its passengers to Noumea, Lifou, Vila and then Wala.

Pacific Jewel features 198 staterooms and suites, lounges, multiple dining facilities and non-stop entertainment, and the change is startling to suddenly disembark on an unsophisticated island.

Wala is a small island overnight from Vanuatu, about one nautical mile northeast of Vanuatu's second largest island Malakula. This serene island with pristine, palm-fringed beaches is home to about 300 friendly, smiling locals.

But up to one generation ago, those same smiling locals were fearsome warriors and cannibals and their reputation isolated and protected Wala and other nearby islands from the outside world, locking their culture in time and creating a living museum.

The dominant tribe is known as the Small Nambas, named for the style of a single dry leaf sheath and belt that men wear around a private part of their anatomy.

Their way of life and traditions are explained by ceremonial dances, the women wear grass skirts and the men wear the sheaths. These dances are quite complex and involve superstition, initiation levels and funeral rites.

Tenders from the ship take passengers to the shore, where the simple life awaits. There are no taxis, credit cards are not accepted and telephone service is not available.

Instead, you walk, talk and follow the trails to see the sights.

Being so remote and undeveloped, Wala is an interesting cultural and environmental island. It is great for snorkelling, dugouts are available for a tourist sail along the foreshore and the soft coral white beaches shelve down to clear warm waters.

The locals have a caring attitude towards tourists. We choose a shaded spot on the beach near the pier to relax until a local walks over and politely asks us to move.

Fearing we have infringed some tribal custom, we reluctantly rise and apologise but he replies by pointing upwards, saying, ``You are under a coconut tree. If a coconut falls, you could be hurt and we wouldn't want that to happen.''

Lifou, part of the Loyalty Islands Province of New Caledonia, is the largest of the archipelago of coral atolls and is proudly Kanak in character.

Kanaks are Melanesian with a close affinity to their land and with a much bigger population than Wala. Although Lifou also does not have taxis, there is plenty of shopping, dining, tours and beaches.

Again, a tender is needed to get ashore to be greeted by another unspoilt island, far away from the mainland and New Caledonia. The locals are not professional guides and don't speak fluent English but they do the best they can to provide you with an enjoyable tour.

Lifou is a low-lying island made up of limestone and layers of raised coral built over millions of years, its shallow soil forming the base for dense undergrowth.

This delicate combination reveals a beautiful island and a perfect destination to explore. The main industry is copra, the dried meat of coconuts but tourism is becoming an increasingly important mainstay of the local economy.

It's so simple to wander around, explore the landscape, the long sandy beaches, caves and grottos where time is measured more by tides, sunrise and sunset than by clocks.

As the island is quite large, the visitor may prefer to explore on a guided tour bus which can head to the Cliffs of Jokin for the spectacular scenery or the Forest and Secret Grotto where demonstrations of traditional hunting techniques are followed by delicious samples of fresh fruit.

If relaxation is the request, Luecila beach is not spoilt by shops, bars and vendors stalls but is a postcard perfect curve of white sand, fringed by a lagoon and framed by palms and shade trees.

There is so much to see and so little to do on both islands that it was with reluctance we rejoined the tender to make our way back to the Pacific Jewel and once more return to the world of today.

- AAP