If you visit Vanuatu, here is a little tropical oasis to enjoy about half an hour from Port Vila.

Eden on the River is 17km from town and it is a terrific spot for a couple of hours or even a whole day. You could also make it a stop as part of an around the island trip with a bus/driver or in a hire car.

It’s great for families with bridges to make exploring the rainforest fun, lots of swimming holes, mini-golf, guided tours, an animal farm, a playground and a café. You can pay for basic entry – 1000 vatu (AUD$12) per adult, children 4 to 14 half price and under three years free. This gives access to the tropical gardens, trails and swimming holes with no time limit and you can add other stuff on from there.

18-hole mini-golf costs 500 vatu or AUD$5, guided tours that take around two hours are 1200 vatu (AUD$15) for the botanical garden tour and 2200 vatu (AUD$25) for the Bridges of Eden tour. Tours usually start at 9:30am, 12:30pm and 2:30pm. Or you take the Big Day Combo that has all the above including a BBQ lunch for 7500 vatu (AUD$90).

They don’t take credit cards but will accept cash in vatu, AUD, NZD or USD. Grab a bus from town or your resort or ring Eden to arrange a transfer on 7710765.

Here is a link to the Eden on the River website.

Because waves break over reefs, surfing in many parts of the Pacific isn’t for beginners but for those who know what they are doing it can be a lot of fun.

They say the surfing in the Cook Islands can be rewarding but I have only seen it once, during a very rough storm that created waves on Avarua Harbour and some intrepid local took the boards out for a wild thrill.

In Samoa, there can be terrific surf off the south coast of the main island of Upolu. Sa’ Moana was the first resort to specialise in marketing to surfers (in 1999) but there are a few resorts along the coast that cater well for that niche..

The surf in Fiji can also be excellent but there are no resorts located right near the surf reefs. You can head out for say trips from resorts like Plantation Island, Treasure Island and Castaway Island.

In Vanuatu there are good waves to be found around Port Vila (Pango Point) but they are right above reefs and should only be taken on by competent riders – novices could end up with some nasty coral cuts. You can probably guess how Breaka’s Beach Resort got its name and, while not huge, there are good left and right breaks to be had out front of the resort.

(Photo: Treasure Island Fiji)

This ‘kokoda’ is not the famous New Guinea war-time track but a seafood dish that appears on many menus in Fiji. It is pronounced kokonda, the same way Nadi is pronounced Nandi, not Nardi – the locals in a Suva restaurant laughed when I first ordered the PNG wartime track.

Kokoda is also known as “Coconut Ceviche”, “Tahitian Fish Salad” and, in the Cook Islands, “Mata”. It takes about ten minutes to knock up and it’s a delicious South Pacific favourite. It’s raw fish, marinated in lime juice, with coconut cream and is served cold. Fresh tuna is probably the best choice of fish but even calamari works for me.

For an entrée for 4 people, get:

• 400g fresh fish
• 1/2 cup lime or lemon juice (kiwi fruit can be used for a quick-time marinade)
• 1/2 cup thick coconut cream
• 1/2 cup red onion
• handful chopped coriander
• finely sliced spring onion or two
• a green or red chilli (no seeds, no pith and finely chopped)
• salt and ground black pepper

Cut the fish into small chunks or strips and mix through the lime juice. Leave it in the fridge for at least an hour – up to four hours. The finer the fish is sliced, the quicker it will “cook” in the citrus juice. Combine the remaining ingredients, drain the fish and toss through the coconut mixture. Serve at once with salt and pepper to taste. A crispy bed of lettuce makes a nice presentation and a cool crunchy taste and texture. For a different taste replace the coconut milk with soy sauce. For a speedier marinade, use kiwifruit – don’t leave that one for four hours though or the fish may “melt”.

Bon appetit!

Ekasup Cultural Village in Vanuatu is a terrific tourist attraction. Visitors get to experience traditional culture and history in engaging presentations. On arriving at the village you enter the rainforest to be greeted by the chief and warriors/villagers in traditional costume to be taken back to another time.

On entering the actual village you learn about natural herbs and medicines, food preservation and roasting, making hunting traps, weaving baskets & mats and preparing the local dish, laplap. You will be told about cannibalism and you might even discover how to catch fish using a spider’s web.

While it is a tourist attraction, income from tours makes the modern village sustainable and it is a way of passing the traditional culture down through the generations because pikininis to their elders are part of the generational experience.

Photo: WotzOnVanuatu

When you first look at the Vanuatu coat of arms and you may only see a ni-Vanuatu man with a spear and a motto in Bislama but there’s much more to it. A lot of thought went into the design. A committee designed it for independence in 1980. The brief was to come up with something that would unite 83 islands, more than 100 cultures and languages, various political parties, 10 Christian denominations (and other faiths) and the bizarre colonial, condominium past. It was a big ask! The detailed aspects are:

• The Man: He is ni-Vanuatu, Melanesian and a chief.
• The Spear: This represents the man’s role as defender and protector of his people
• Armbands: These are ‘shell money’ denoting his role as a dealer in economic exchanges and distributor of services, goods and resources.
• Headdress: Along with the loincloth these represent the many modes of dress found throughout the country.
• The Land: The man stands with both feet firmly on the soil of his land.
• The Mele: The crossed cyclad leaves signify peace.
• The Tusk: The circular pig tusk symbolizes unity, wealth, prosperity and authority.
• The Mat: The mat in front of the man symbolises the importance of agriculture as well as the importance of women’s labour and their role in managing the agricultural economy.
• The Motto: “Long God Yumi Stanap” means more than just “we believe in God”. It is a reminder to give back to God, in sacrifice, all that he has bestowed upon the people.