Vanuu also known as Waterfall Village, is a large settlement on the southwestern coast of Pentecost Island

Pentecost Island

Pentecost Island is one of the 83 islands that make up the South Pacific nation of Vanuatu. It lies due north of capital Port Vila. Pentecost Island is known as Pentecôte in French and Pentikos in Bislama. The island was known in its native languages by names such as Vanu Aroaroa, although these...

 in Vanuatu

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...

. The village consists of several scattered groups of houses within an aging coconut plantation.

Vanuu is located about 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) north of Lonorore Airport

Lonorore Airport

Lonorore Airport or Lonoror is an airport on south-western Pentecost Island, Vanuatu.Lonorore began as a grass airstrip, capable of accommodating 20-seater Twin Otter aircraft in good conditions, although it was frequently unusable due to waterlogging in wet weather. The airport is built in the...

 and about 8 kilometres (5 mi) south of Melsisi

Melsisi

Melsisi is a large settlement and Catholic mission on the west coast of Pentecost Island, Vanuatu.The mission includes a large church, convent, clinic, Francophone primary and secondary schools, and a small guesthouse. Melsisi also has a bank and post office, numerous small stores, restaurants, a...

.

The large waterfall and associated natural swimming pool behind the village, and the presence of good anchorage for yachts, make Vanuu a popular destination for visitors to Pentecost Island. The waterfall behind Vanuu is one of seven major falls along the river; the others are located high in the bush. There is also a limestone cave nearby. Although Vanuu is not located within the area in which land diving

Land diving

Land diving is a ritual performed by the men of the southern part of Pentecost Island, Vanuatu. The precursor to bungee jumping, men jump off of wooden towers around high, with two tree vines wrapped around the ankles. Land diving is done without any safety equipment...

 is practised, it is sometimes used as a base by tourists who visit Pentecost to witness the ceremony.

Vanuu has a Churches of Christ church, a nakamal

Nakamal

A nakamal is a traditional meeting place in Vanuatu. A nakamal is found in every significant rural Vanuatu community....

, small stores, and a guesthouse. Children from Vanuu attend the Anglophone primary school at Ranmawot, 2 km away. Ranwadi High School

Ranwadi High school

Ranwadi School is a co-educational boarding school on Pentecost, Vanuatu. The school has just over 300 students, who come from all over Pentecost Island and from other parts of Vanuatu.The school is situated 11 km north of Lonorore airport on a coastal hillside adjacent to the village of...

 is also nearby.

Most villagers maintain gardens in the mountains above Vanuu, growing vegetables such as taro

Taro

Taro is a common name for the corms and tubers of several plants in the family Araceae . Of these, Colocasia esculenta is the most widely cultivated, and is the subject of this article. More specifically, this article describes the 'dasheen' form of taro; another variety is called eddoe.Taro is...

 for local consumption and earning income from cash crops such as kava

Kava

Kava or kava-kava is a crop of the western Pacific....

. Fees paid by visitors to the waterfall, and earnings from other tourist-related activities, are also a source of income.