Vanuatu Photos: Mystery Island

Vanuatu lies between Fiji and Australia in the southwest Pacific. Aneityum is the country's southernmost island. Inyeug, Aneityum's tiny airport island, is better known as Mystery Island.

Cruise ships from Sydney, Australia, visit Mystery Island regularly, but you can also fly there from Tanna.

Futuna, a Polynesian island east of Aneityum and Tanna, is seldom visited by tourists.

These photos by John Nicholls, general manager of Vanuatu Hotels in Port Vila, provide a glimpse of Mystery Island on a quiet day when the hundreds of cruise ship passengers weren't around.

The small guest house on Mystery Island allows those willing to forgo electricity and running water to have the island to themselves, after the plane has gone back to Tanna and the caretaker has returned to his home on nearby Aneityum.

The images below are details. To view the complete photos, click on the thumbnails. Also be sure to have a look at John's photos of Tanna.

 Welcome to
 Mystery Island

 ship's passengers
 arrive via this wharf

 use this map to plan
 your island day

 first island glimpse
 for arrivals by air

 Mystery Island as
 seen from the wharf

 cruise ship sales
 stalls Mystery island

 rustic guest house
 Mystery Island

 clear ocean waters
 off Mystery island

 19th century mission
 ruins, Aneityum

 missionary-style
 dress Aneityum

 marinating taro
 Futuna

 natural blonds on
 Aneityum