February 11, 2016 – Mystery Island, Vanuatu

We were pleasantly surprised by our stop today on Mystery Island. Our advance expectations were not set high due to the lack of attractions on this tiny (0.6 square mile), coral atoll 600 miles west-southwest of Fiji. If you’re looking for Mystery Island on a map, you probably won’t find it, as no one lives here. It’s the southernmost island in the Vanuatu archipelago of 80 islands stretching across some 500 miles of the South Pacific. In the local dialect, this island is known as Inyeug and is located just off the coast of the large volcanic island of Aneityum.

Ginny stayed on board ship today, as did many others. That was their loss, in Jim’s opinion. The Serenity anchored outside the coral reef surrounding the island, and it was about a 15-minute tender ride from ship to the small dock on the island. Water inside the reef was a beautiful shade of blue – calm and crystal clear. We were told by those who went snorkeling here that it was a great experience. A light, golden-colored sandy beach surrounds the island.

A short distance from the pier Jim found the rather large market area of probably 50 - 60 thatched-roof stalls staffed by local people who came over by boat from Aneityum to sell the standard South Pacific souvenirs we’ve seen at many of our previous stops – shell necklaces, lava-lava fabric, and other souvenirs – including refrigerator magnets that we’ve been collecting on all our travels the past few years. They’re starting to pile up at home; sometime soon we must decide what to do with them all. Nonetheless, Jim bought a Vanuatu magnet, which we’re certain wasn’t manufactured on Aneityum or on Mystery Island.

The island is small enough that Jim was able to easily walk around its perimeter in about 45 minutes on a sandy pathway (stopping a few times along the way). At one point he saw a “Tabu” sign on the pathway and detoured onto a grass runway that we understand was originally built during WWII by U.S. military forces. The runway is fairly short – about 2,000 feet Jim estimated – but it covers almost the entire interior of the island and close to 75% of its length. About 15 minutes after leaving the runway and walking back on the trail, he was surprised to see a small Vanuata Airlines plane land on the runway. That was interesting, as nobody lives on this island. Maybe these were supplies for the people from Aneityum to take back home with them, as their island had a very mountainous, rugged terrain which would probably not be suitable for a runway. Or maybe that’s the way the islanders travel to some of the other islands in Vanuatu. Anyway, Jim enjoyed the walk, as views of the beach and surrounding waters were spectacular, and there were plenty of trees for shade.

One interesting thing that we learned is that Vanuatu people (including those from Aneityum) don’t live on Inyeug (Mystery Island) because it’s considered to be inhabited after dark by ghosts. Thus, they don’t want to spend the night there.

After about two hours Jim returned to the ship very happy that he was able to visit Mystery Island – an exemplary model of a tiny, deserted South Pacific atoll. Although this visit was a first for Crystal, we suspect that other ships cruising out of Australia must stop here, or the semi-permanent craft sales stalls, along with other hand-painted signs offering services, wouldn’t be on the island.

Nighttime entertainment continues at a high level. Wednesday night, February 10, the entertainment staff threw a big Mardi Gras party in the ship’s atrium (called Crystal Plaza). The area was highly decorated, staff wore wild costumes, the band played Dixieland music, and there was a lot of dancing and singing. It was great fun for everyone. 

Later that evening we attended a concert in the Galaxy Lounge by Argentine Maestro Hector Olivera, who was billed as a “World-Renowned Virtuoso Organist/Keyboard Artist Extraordinaire.” This was a performance unlike anything we’ve seen before. He has the phenomenal ability to play the organ in a way that sounds like an entire orchestra – many instruments and a chorus – all playing at the same time. There were no computer attachments or pre-recorded parts. TV cameras were focused on his hands and feet as he did this, and they were moving very fast. He did a full concert (45 minutes) solo this way playing many styles of music, including the “Flight of the Bumblebee” just using his feet. Amazing is as all we can say! Maestro Olivera will be playing a concert at the Sydney Opera House during our ship’s visit to Sydney next week, and then he will rejoin our cruise for another concert as we turn northbound along Australia’s eastern coast.

The next two days we will be in New Caledonia, our last stops before reaching Australia.

Jim & Ginny