Aniwa and Tanna Islands, Vanuatu
Arriving off Aniwa island today we were once again awoken with an announcement of whales ahead of the ship. As we watched the whales and a debate ensued about their identity. The smaller baleen whales in the South Pacific can be difficult to identify at the best of times – even before considering the possibility that Bryde’s whale may in fact be three distinct species as recently proposed by Japanese cetologists. The conclusion was that we were watching minke whales - a cow and calf pair.
The rest of the morning was spent in or on the crystal clear waters around Aniwa: snorkeling, diving or in the glass bottom boat over the vibrant coral reef.
During lunch we relocated to Tanna, where our final stop in Vanuatu ended with a spectacular bang. After a Zodiac ride to shore and a bumpy trip in the back of a pickup we arrived at the Yasur volcano, hiked to the rim and gazed into the caldera. We could hear frequent explosions and, as the mists came and went, we could see blebs of welded spatter (i.e. rocks) being hurled high into the air. As darkness fell the mist in the caldera glowed red and we could see more clearly the trajectory of the glowing red rocks.
Tomorrow we have a chance to relax with a day at sea as we make the crossing to Fiji, our fourth and final country in this exploration of the South Pacific.
Arriving off Aniwa island today we were once again awoken with an announcement of whales ahead of the ship. As we watched the whales and a debate ensued about their identity. The smaller baleen whales in the South Pacific can be difficult to identify at the best of times – even before considering the possibility that Bryde’s whale may in fact be three distinct species as recently proposed by Japanese cetologists. The conclusion was that we were watching minke whales - a cow and calf pair.
The rest of the morning was spent in or on the crystal clear waters around Aniwa: snorkeling, diving or in the glass bottom boat over the vibrant coral reef.
During lunch we relocated to Tanna, where our final stop in Vanuatu ended with a spectacular bang. After a Zodiac ride to shore and a bumpy trip in the back of a pickup we arrived at the Yasur volcano, hiked to the rim and gazed into the caldera. We could hear frequent explosions and, as the mists came and went, we could see blebs of welded spatter (i.e. rocks) being hurled high into the air. As darkness fell the mist in the caldera glowed red and we could see more clearly the trajectory of the glowing red rocks.
Tomorrow we have a chance to relax with a day at sea as we make the crossing to Fiji, our fourth and final country in this exploration of the South Pacific.
