Oh what a Mystery this island is! Basically it is PARADISE for a day – a pop up village occurs on this uninhabited island to “service” the cruise ship guests from the people who live on the nearby island of Aneityum, Vanuatu which really is just a stone’s throw away The Anaton Islands are the southernmost islands of Vanuatu. The real name of Mystery Island is Anelghowhat. Basically if you have been to any of the islands in the Caribbean that the various Cruise ship companies own that are often on their cruise itinerary – this is a VERY rudimentary of one of them – the only solid building made out of concrete brick is a basic toilet structure – all other shelters are wooden huts of various sizes and design. There is also a fairly well built metal wharf where the ships tenders can do there offloading/loading however it is NOT accessible at all – there are about 10 stairs to go up and then the island is flat at the end of the wharf pier. That is a shame as to get onto the tender is fairly accessible as in general, ships have an elevator that goes down to the tender platform now, and ramp onto and off the tender – however with stairs to get to the island, it makes navigating the getting off the tender a challenge!
There were 4 types of HAL Excursions offered – a Snorkel and Float to shore on Mystery Island and then 3 different trips to Aneityum to visit either a Traditional Village, Authentic Village or to see a Kustom Magic show. Yes, I spelled that correctly with a K! Originally we were going to do the Snorkel and Float to shore in the morning and then in the afternoon go to the Authentic Village. I had been told when we first booked by the Accessibility department of HAL that it was the better village option for us to take. However, as we had done several village tours already and my body was protesting a bit, I asked Ben to cancel our Traditional Village Tour. I thought that Snorkeling would be enough for me to accomplish and then sitting on the white sand beach sounded just perfect!
Here are our arrival pictures at the Anaton Islands!
When we arrived there were a group of ladies singing songs for us and we were quickly escorted off to our Snorkel and Float tour. I had to leave my walker at the security tent for the ship where they would keep it safe while I used my cane to walk to the Snorkel hut to get geared up and to store our belongings. They would not let us take anything with us – including glasses! For some people that was an issue – it was kind of funny having Andrew lead me without my cane down a path to the beach – I could see where we were going and the tree roots along the way and he could not due to my cataract surgery last year! He had to leave his glasses behind in our bag… Snorkel masks and glasses do not mix! We got into the flat bottomed boats and we were off! Just wanted to point out at this point, I was DRENCHED in 60 SPF lotion for this excursion into the sea….
We were taken about a kilometre out to near a reef and then told to jump out of the boat! Easier said than done for me! I was so scared I would hit my head on the boat – however with the encouragement of another lady who was staying on the boat, I made it. The water was LOVELY and clear! I took lots of snapshots in my mind of what I saw! I did look online to see if there were any images of the blue tipped coral and fish that we saw and I found a few which I will put below.
I guess due to seeing me getting off the tender using my walker and then switching to a cane and then getting assistance getting to the beach, one of the accompanying guides thought I could not swim. So he then gave me a life ring to hold onto! I had actually chosen not to wear fins as first they are hard for me to get on and second my legs were already pretty sore and did not want to exasperate that issue! Plus, I love to just swim. So I played along pulling the life ring beside me – he held onto the rope on one side and me on the other and we kept up with the crowd and I kept an eye on Andrew who could not see where he was going! There was only one issue at this point – we were dropped off at the start of the reef and the group was heading towards the breakwater farther out – this was not a drop off and float back program in my mind! This was an actual swim around the reefs and then float back! I said goodbye to my life ring buddy who by this time could tell that I could swim and went and swam with Andrew for a while and then as they were still heading out to sea, turned around and saw one of the boats nearby and decided to swim to it and perhaps just hang on for some rest and then swim into the beach. However they wanted us to remain together, which makes sense.
There already was a couple in the boat and so the driver put down the metal ladder so I could get up the side (not the back) of the boat. Unfortunately it hit coral when it was down and I slipped and cut my foot a bit on some coral and that stung, so he then moved the boat, with me hanging onto the ladder, backwards so I could have a better attempt in deeper water. Those stupid tired legs of mine would not cooperate! It was also a very difficult climb as the ladder was not perpendicular but went sort of under the boat as it is a flat bottomed boat, so it was like climbing a cliff face from underneath it. I instead just hung on and enjoyed my time in the water next to the boat and chatted with the couple in the boat. They were from Cary, North Carolina which funny enough I installed their Parks and Recreation system many moons ago! We chatted about Cary, Raleigh, and Edenton (as they knew where it was!) for about 30 minutes and then I attempted to get into the boat yet again. It was a fail. However the lady mentioned that she would move the oar in the boat so when I got up over the ladder it would be easier for me to sit down. That gave me an idea (keep in mind I am the daughter of an engineer)! I asked the gentleman and the driver to hold onto the oar at each end where they sat at the bow and stern of the boat, then I would climb the ladder and grab onto the oar and they would then move the oar towards the other side of the boat than I was climbing on – so that would help me get my weight over the side of the boat and hopefully my body into the boat! It worked! I was SO RELIVED!
Then I looked up and we were more than halfway to the shore at this point! We had actually drifted into the beach all this time and I could have swum in instead – however the ride back was wonderful with the breeze in my hair and all that 🙂 We then arrived at the beach and you would think getting out of the boat would be simple right! I got in pretty simply when at the beach – but nope – getting out, in front of the whole group of swimmers just getting back from their float in (except Andrew who got back early and could not see me in the boat) I actually fell off the boat into the water and got a huge gulp of seawater instead! Oh my goodness! The driver and the gentleman then helped me up to the beach were I saw at the waters edge until I could figure out where Andrew ended up! He actually had gone to get my cane from the hut and come back so that I would have an easier time getting back to where our belongings were located. That was very nice of him! So unfortunately not a lot of pictures from that escapade however fun times were had!
Next we divulged ourselves of our snorkel gear and picked up our bag and I got my walker back from security and off we went plugging through the part sand, part packed down paths with my walker. Tough going but needed the support! I had seen some umbrellas when we were snorkeling and my goal at this point in time was 2 things – 1. Being flat on the beach and 2. Getting something to drink! I accomplished number 1 until I realized that I was not going to survive in the sun very long on the beach on a towel, so we went to plan B – paid to sit under an umbrella! We then commenced with 2. Drinks – Andrew got an Vanuatu beer and I got a Coke – needed that sugar! Also no diet drinks to be found….
Now that we have been refreshed and I have rested my legs for a while (I crocheted some during this time period) it was time for me to go exploring while Andrew does what he does best when on a beach – contemplates nothing but the view! Please note here exploring = shopping at the local “handicraft” village that has been set up for the passengers!
I did buy a couple of things – a woven fan, a dress and a magnet to remember my time on the island! The Calderon that is there they actually have guys dressed up that will stand behind the “pot” dressed as cannibals and you can take pictures of them – for a fee of course!
Then Andrew and I decided to go for a walk around part of the island – it is not that big an island – it is about 1.5 kilometers long and approximately 200 meters wide so the island can be walked (without a walker plowing through sand) in around in about 30 minutes. Of course, we have to go 4 wheel drive when we decide to go for our walk! So we set out from the “west” side of the island where the umbrellas we were sitting at were, and walked across to the “east” side past the handicraft huts to start our walk. The first actual building we ran into is the “airport” which is also, now I realize, a fixed structure on the island. It has a windsock and a grass runway! We crossed over to the walking path and then walked the length (so away from the end where we went snorkeling) of the island – sometimes it was tough pushing! Along the way there were various families that had set up drinks for purchase and you could also rent paddle boards etc. We got to the end of the island and the path continued around to the umbrella side however I had a better idea – it might be easier just to walk back down the runway! It is not often one can walk down a runway or a grass one! Here are our pictures from our walk:
At that point, we were back at the wharf and I was both tired and HOT from our walk! One of the nice things that Holland America does, which I am sure other cruise ships do too, is provide water and lemon flavoured water at the pier. So I partook in a bunch of cups of lemon flavoured water however I then moved onto the more important station – the cool cloths! There is a man who hands out nice rolled cool cloths before you get onto the ship or in this case the tender. I knew at this point that my 60 SPF was a bit over whelmed and I needed to cool down fast – he was so helpful in providing about 6 cloths to me to put on my arms and head so that I could get cool! I asked him how he keeps the cloths so cool and he said that the cart that he has, which comes over in the tender, has a huge ice block in it and the cloths are put into it wet early in the morning so they will remain cold all day. I was VERY thankful! We then went down the pier to get onto the tender. Unfortunately a gentleman had a fall on the island and had banged his face and knee up pretty bad and it was bleeding. They put him on the tender with us and then we were off – there were only about 10 of us on the tender as they wanted to get this man back to the ship’s Medical Centre. It was nice getting priority treatment and not having to wait in the hot tender until it was full.
Sailing away from the Anaton Islands – inhabited Aneityum to the left and Mystery Island in the centre –
Here is another view of Mystery Island from the sky that I found online – it shows the beauty around the island! You can see the runway – we walked just south of the runway on a path to the right side of the island and back along the runway. The snorkeling was on the left side of the island where you can see a bay on the top and headed to the dark reef above the island.
Now, cleaned up it was first, time to take some pictures of a wonderful sunset and then off to dinner for some comfort food for this tired body! The sunset tonight was spectacular! I got a bow picture thanks to Andrew and his long arms/height as I could not see around or above the balcony wall! The grits with cheese (vegetarian GF meal) with chicken on the side (protein) was just what I needed! Andrew of course had some kind of moo’ing meat.
Now for 3 days at sea to relax prior to getting to Sydney!