Category Archives: Photography

Gilligan would be Right at Home — Stopping by Mystery Island


Welcome to Mystery  (Inyeug) Island

Welcome to Mystery (Inyeug) Island

Mystery Island (Inyeug) is usually uninhabited . . . until a ship arrives or a plane lands.  Until then the inhabitants live next door.

Mystery Island Panoramic

Mystery Island Panoramic

The southernmost inhabited Vanuatu island is Aneityum.  What you see in the picture above isn’t it.  That’s Inyeug, also known as Mystery Island.  They’re easy to tell apart because Aneityum looks like this:

Aneityum

Aneityum

and Inyeug looks like this:

Mystery Island

Mystery Island

Mystery Island is small enough to circumnavigate on foot in much less than a couple of hours.  But just in case you get lost:

Hard to get lost on an island this small

Hard to get lost on an island this small

Despite the small size, Mystery Island has a lot going for it.  There’s Queen Elizabeth II Beach, for instance, which was renamed in 1990 in honor of the Queen’s visit to Vanuatu back in 1974.

Queen Elizabeth II Beach

Queen Elizabeth II Beach

Basking beneath the clouds

Basking beneath the clouds

MS Oosterdam arrived offshore the morning after we departed Lifou, New Caledonia.  Below you can see the ship anchored between Inyeug and the much larger Aneityum.

MS Oosterdam

MS Oosterdam

It was from this anchorage that we tendered onto the island.

Tendering onto Mystery Island

Tendering onto Mystery Island

On Wednesday we’ll take a look at Mystery Island’s bustling airport and some of the native flora and fauna, including some really big spiders.

Until then please enjoy the slide show below:

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Fun Photo Friday — Leafing through Lifou


MS Oosterdam

MS Oosterdam

Today we say goodbye to Lifou before heading to our next port-of-call Vanuatu.  Specifically, next week we’re going to take a look at Mystery Island.  Until then, here is today’s Fun Photo Friday gallery of Lifou favorites:

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Trekking Lifou


Lone Tender

Lone Tender

I’m usually not a big fan of tendering to shore.  It takes time and it frequently requires long waits in line.  But there’s something about being transported over crystalline blue waters that somehow makes it all right.

Crystalline Blue Waters

Crystalline Blue Waters

A short, hot, uphill trek from the shores of Santal Bay takes you into dense jungle with some really interesting flora.

Lifou

Lifou

Once you get to the end of the trail you arrive at the charming little Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel — now fully restored to its previous glory.

Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel

Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel

Make sure you duck inside for this view:

 

Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel

Notre Dame de Lourdes Chapel

Fun Photo Friday I’ll present my favorite Lihou shots.  Until then, click on any image below to bring up today’s slide show:

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