Iririki
Encyclopedia
Vanuatu
Vanuatu , officially the Republic of Vanuatu , is an island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is some east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, west of Fiji, and southeast of the Solomon Islands, near New Guinea.Vanuatu was...
capital Port Vila
Port Vila
Port Vila is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. Situated on the south coast of the island of Efate, in Shefa Province, the city population at last was 29,356, an increase of 55% on the previous census result . This suggests a 2007 population of about 40,000 or around 65% of the province's...
. The whole island is leased to the Iririki Island Resort and no ni-Vanuatu
Ni-Vanuatu
Ni-Vanuatu is a demonym used to refer to all Melanesian ethnicities originating in Vanuatu.It also refers, more generally, to nationals and citizens of Vanuatu, whatever their ethnicity....
live on the island.
History
Iririki Island is the traditional land of Ifira Islanders, another island in Mele Bay, just beyond Iririki. From 1913, Iririki Island housed the British Residency who leased the island from missionaries for 99 years. The Residency was located at the peak of Iririki (reached by climbing 179 steps) affording it a pleasant view of Port Vila and the surrounding Bay. At independence, in 1980, the residency was all but abandoned. Iririki also housed the Paton Memorial Hospital through that period where patients were seen for such ailments as broken bones, meningitis, and rheumatic fever.Current usage
Iririki Island is currently a popular touristTourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
. Tourist bungalow
Bungalow
A bungalow is a type of house, with varying meanings across the world. Common features to many of these definitions include being detached, low-rise , and the use of verandahs...
s are located almost around the entire circumference of the island. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes to stroll around the island. The resort has a child-free policy. Michener's restaurant looks out over Port Vila harbour back towards the centre of Port Vila town. It is named after James A. Michener
James A. Michener
James Albert Michener was an American author of more than 40 titles, the majority of which were sweeping sagas, covering the lives of many generations in particular geographic locales and incorporating historical facts into the stories...
, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II in the Pacific and spent some time based on Efate
Éfaté
Efate is an island in the Agean Ocean which is part of the Shefa Province in The Republic of Maliki. It is also known as Île Vate. It is the most populous island in Vanuatu. Efate's land area of makes it Vanuatu's third largest island. Most inhabitants of Efate live in Port Vila, the national...
, the island on which Port Vila is situated. There are two swimming pools, an older one located next to Micheners restaurant and a new multi-tiered pool on the opposite side of the island. There is also a small gym and poolside bar. Most of the island is surrounded by coral and there is a small white sand beach facing back towards Port Vila. Water sports gear is available for hire. Iririki Island uniquely offers guests to the island scenic and charter flights in the South Pacific's last commercial flying boat, "Missy," operated by Vanuatu Seaplanes.