Abseiling The Cascade Waterfalls In Port Vila

The last adventure tour I want to share with you that I took up on my honeymoon with Carnival Cruises is the abseiling tour I completed in Port Vila.

Abseiling in general is a fun and thrilling adventure which does take some guts and nerves of steal. I have been abseiling only once before this trip which was in the Blue Mountains which was roughly a 10 metre cliff face.

You can see all the Blue Mountain Abseiling Adventures here.

However on this trip with Carnival Cruises to the beautiful South Pacific, my wife and I took it a step further. This time we were going to abseil down 50 metres, that's 5 times the height I've tried before.

Not only was there the height to deal with, but the rushing waters of the famous Cascade Waterfalls. Yikes.

Meeting area for Cascade Waterfalls

I must admit before we got on the cruise my wife and I were most excited about this adventures above all the others mentioned throughout these recent blog posts.

On the morning of the tour however I was started to feel anxious and nervous. I'm not overly comfortable with open heights and 50 metres, with rushing water and sharp edged rocks below was not making this easy for me.

But I managed to break past this anxiety and headed to the tour. On my last visit to Port Vila (when I actually proposed) we went to visit and swim under the beautiful Cascade Waterfalls. The scenery and the waters were so amazing that we just had to go back. But we wanted to step up our game.

We arrived at the family meeting point and kiosk and headed over to the gear already set up. Word of warning... you DO want to wear shorts that at least almost touch your knees. I had to laugh at the few people who had short-shorts on and the harnesses would uncomfortably catch their skin.

As the Cascades were high up the mountainside we had a bit of hike to reach the top through thick rain forest. The climb is doable and the tour operators will allow you a break so it is achievable, it just isn't overly easy.

The sites from on top of the mountain give you panoramic views of Port Vila and the islands that are found just off the shorelines and in the distance. One of these islands includes Hideaway Island which is amazing for scuba diving.

Once we reached the top we had a quick safety briefing explain the ropes and how to use both your hands and feet on the wall.

The first abseil was down an 8 metres practice cliff and into the pool below. As it is the first abseil of the day (there are 2) most of us were nervous even thoguh the height was next to nothing when compared with the cascades.

We all went down one by one with the instructors shouting out the techniques we should be using. My downfall was not leaning back far enough and I wouldn't let my grip go on the supporting rope.

Once the instructors knew we were all ready for the big drop we started over to the Cascade Waterfall.

Thankfully the initial drop off wasn't as steep as I thought it would be and it made it hard to look all the way down the 50 metres. It was more of a slow step backwards until eventually you were vertical.

As nervous as I was I decided to head down... I didn't really want to climb back down the steep mountainside we just came up so this was pretty much the only way down now.

There were 3 stopping places were more staff were waiting and would tie you up to the next set of ropes. The first third was actually not so bad. The water wasn't as strong here and the climb was pretty much straight down.

On the second one however the water was on our path, at least around our feet and ankles. It was here that I decided I must be at least half way down and decided to look behind me for the first time.... we were no where near the bottom so that wasn't the best idea and just added to the nerves.

On the next and last tier of our abseil the path took us right under the flow of water covering us head to toe in the fast moving falls. As scary as I thought this would be it was actually the funnest part of the adventure.

This last tier was also the biggest, probably around 25 metres to reach the water hole below were everyone else who finished the abseil cheer the remaining groups on.

Although the experience made me nervous and anxious, reaching the bottom in one piece made it one fo the most rewarding adventures of my life time. I had so much adrenalin pumping through my veins that I was keen on going up again.

I'll definitely be looking at other abseiling adventures that I could do in Australia so that I can work on my skills and to build up those nerves.

Daniel Hardie
Rock Climbing and Abseiling Adventures

Zego Sea Safari and The Blue Hole - Santo

Next our the list of islands to visit on our Carnival cruise trip to the South Pacific was Santos Espiritu, or simply Santo.

I was so excited to finally visit this part of Vanuatu it is the next biggest and most populated part of Vanuatu apart from Port Vila so it is much lively than some of the other islands we had visited.

What makes Santo so special though is the famous shipwreck found here. The SS President Coolidge's grave is found here and was sunken by a friendly mine.

On this trip however I didn't take a wreck dive to the ship. I was on my honeymoon after all and my wife didn't have her dive licence.

But instead of doing nothing at Santo we decided to take a Zego Sea Safari not far from where the Coolidge lies. A zego is pretty much a tiny speed boat, almost like a jet ski. They have plenty of power and was something that looked like a lot of fun.

This tour was run from the beach front resort and they own around 4 of the zegos. We were definitely excited to hit up some speed boats and take a break from the snorkelling that we did on all the other islands.

Unfortunately for us 2 of the zegos weren't working, so we were unable to get on. We were obviously dissapointed but the owner basically told us he will give us a refund and while the two other couples were able to have a go we were able to get in his speed boat while he gave us a tour and the history of Santo itself.

After about 10 minutes we saw another zego heading our way... the hotel staff were able to fix one of the zego and we were finally able to have our turn. Awesome. We got to speed past the Carnival Spirit and around other ship wrecks past the villages.

Although it was a short tour it was a nice break from snorkelling and extensive physical exercise. I love the speed of these zegos and it was well worth the trip out there.

On our way back to the ship we ran into a group of people we meet on the Carnival Spirit and took a cab with them. We had no idea where we going exactly but we ended up at nice little river end. The water was nice here and was surrounded by rainforest.

The above picture is where we got on our canoes and this spot was beautiful in itself... but this was nothing to where we were headed. The Blue Hole.

This place had the most surreal looking water I don't think I could do it any justice in words. Even the photos below probably don't give the colour the justice it truly deserves.

The canoe dropped us all off at this spot and we were able to swim in the blue waters as well as use the rope swing already set up.

In the next post I'll be taking through the next adventure I took. This next adventures was one of the most extreme things I have ever tried and I was able to take this adventure in Port Vila.

I hope you enjoyed these images of Santo. I do recommend that if you ever take a cruise to the South Pacific to ensure it includes this island. This was just 2 different tours and adventures I took but who knows how many wonders are left for discovery. Like the SS President Coolidge wreck dive for example.

I'll definitely be heading back to Santo, perhaps this time for a week or so.

Daniel Hardie

Nothing But Adventure

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Snorkelling Vanuatu and Isle of Pines

In the previous post I mentioned my honeymoon on Carnival Cruises - Carnival Spirit to be specific. On this 11 night cruise we were privileged enough to visit 5 very beautiful islands in the South Pacific.

Each and every one of these destinations had fantastic snorkelling - a particular favorite past time of mine. The waters were completely clear, clean (something us Sydney folk aren't used to) as well as abundant with fish.

Our first island was the Isle of Pines - an island belonging to French Polynesia in New Caledonia.

What I loved about this place was that it forms just a small part of the New Caledonia Barrier Reef - the second biggest barrier reef in the world. Second only to Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

When arriving onto the Isle of Pines you can walk just a short way up from the wharf to a lagoon just opposite. This here has plenty of fish itself particularly around the sacred rock.

P.S sacred means don't touch and definitely don't climb - the local people may throw rocks at you or even attack you. The sacred rock has significant meaning to the lives of the locals so please follow this one rule.

This spot here isn't the best spot for snorkelling the Isle of Pines however. You'll want to head on a bus tour (can be organised by the Cruise) to a placed named 'The Natural Aquarium'.

The Natural Aquarium is a protected area which mean the fish are far more abundant and the variety of fish is wide and varied.

The Natural Aquarium - Isle of Pines

Next on the list was Mystery Island a small (tiny in fact) and flat island that no one actually lives on. The water here matches pictures of paradise or perhaps even heaven. The water was also incredibly warm.

Here the beaches were taken up by the 2,500 guests on the Carnival Cruise so unfortunately the amount of people in the water scared off some of the fish. I didn't think I would actually see any.

That was until I found a lone mass of coral which had tonnes of fish hiding inside. None of the other snorkelers knew it was there and so the fish were quite active having only me around.

Mystery Island

Santos and Port Vila unfortunately I missed out on snorkelling however Ih ave snorkeled and scuba dived Port Vila on a previous trip. If you want the best of the best diving and snorkelling here you will want to head to Hideaway Island about 20 minutes from the towns centre.

Lastly we had Wala another small island however this time a village of around 300 people lived there. Basically it was just a long stretch of beach with jungle just beyond the sand.

As this was the last island on the trip I was admittingly exhausted however I wanted to see what the snorkelling was like here... and I wasn't dissapointed.

Here there hundreds, maybe thousands of different fish and many different species too. One of the highlights here though was the vibrant colours of the reef as well as the large colonies of clown fish (you may know these fish as Nemo).

Clown Fish - Wala

Wala was probably my favourite snorkelling due to the large number of fish and the vareity of species however each and every place had its own merits.

If you are ever heading to the South Pacific then I suggest you go snorkelling. You never know where and when will be the best spot.

In future posts I'll go through what we got up to in both Santo and Port Vila. These adventures were more active and extreme adventures.

Want to try a Snorkelling Adventure yourself? Click Here.

Daniel Hardie
www.nothingbutadventure.com.au

Honeymoon On Carnival Cruise

As mentioned in a previous blog post 2013 was a huge year for me personally. The biggest event being my own wedding in mid November.

For our honeymoon we tossed up so many different ideas for a trip that we would hopefully remember for a life time.

We looked at Route 66 in the US, Maui in Hawaii, Thailand - specifically Phuket as well as some destinations back home in Australia - Margaret River WA and Hamilton Island QLD.

In the end we wanted to do something that was low cost but also fun and exciting - something we've never really tried before. So we booked a Carnival Cruise to 5 different islands in the South Pacific - Isle of Pines, Wala, Mystery Island, Port Vila and Santo.

I'm definitely glad that we ended up choosing this cruise for our honeymoon, I couldn't of been more impressed. I had previously done a cruise with P and O almost exactly 10 years earlier but my wife had never been on a ship.

That's Me - Waiting to get on-board

The cruise line itself is magnificent and everything was easy to book in which included our shore tours, day spa and the famous Noveau restaurant located on the Carnival Spirit (just one of 22 ships in their fleet).

We decided to upgrade our room from a mini suite to something called the Vista Suite. Basically once you open the door you enter the hallway and into a lounge room with lounge, side table and chairs, fridge etc and to the right was a separate vanity and bathroom and then another door into the room.

As you can probably tell already this room was absolutely amazing... virtually a 1 bedroom apartment, less the kitchen.

But it gets better. One of the features of the room that we were not aware about was the bath had spa jets! That came in handy after our full day of abseiling the Cascade Waterfalls. (I'll write about these shore tours in future posts).

Another great thing about this room was the fact that we were located at the very back of the ship where the balcony is massive and slightly wrap around the ship meaning we had unobstructed views at the back and the side of the ship.

All cruise liners certainly have their benefits and features as well as attractive sales and deals throughout the year, but Carnival is right up there - both for price, facilities and service.

To find out more information regarding Carnival Read This Article: First Time Cruising With Carnival Spirit

In coming posts I'll be adding some of the shore tours and adventures that my wife and I took up during this cruise on the 5 islands visited.

Until then, happy adventures.

Daniel Hardie
www.nothingbutadventure.com.au

WIN An Extreme 4x4 Monster Hot Lap - Sydney or Melbourne

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This month we are giving away an Extreme 4-Wheel Drive Experience in either Sydney or Melbourne. Imagine the look on your friends faces when they see you tearing up the track, bouncing uncontrollably over rocks, drop-offs and ledges with an absolute BEAST of an automobile.

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Winners of the competition will be notified via email and will have 7 days to confirm their winnings. A voucher will then be supplied which gives you an entire year to use.

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Enter now at Nothing But Adventure - Competitions.... If you’re adventurous enough.

What A Year 2013 Was - What's 2014 Going To Bring

Daniel Hardie for Nothing But Adventure here again, hope you're all well. 

As we are just starting this new Blogspot I wanted to ensure that you got to know me a little more. You may have already connected with me via Facebook, Twitter, Email or through Ezine Articles. Now with this blog I am able to share a lot more.

2013 was a HUGE year for me I tied the knot in November, getting married and heading on to Carnival Cruise lines for our honeymoon.

If you haven't been on Carnival Cruises or any cruise actually I can assure you it is one hell of an adventure. 

The ship itself is amazing complimented by great food, never ending drinks and entertainment as well as the social side of the entire ship.

On each of the islands my wife and I did some sort of adventure tour on each and every port (5 all up) with plenty of snorkeling. Next week I plan to share more of this story so please keep your eye out for this. 

Back to Nothing But Adventure we have some seriously exciting plans. We've already added a hot deals page for each of Australia's states so that it is now easier for you to find a bargain deal near you. 

We have also added tonnes more content, articles and adventure tours to the Nothing But Adventure website. If you haven't had a chance I suggest you check it out here. 

But the most exciting new is yet to come... here is a hint - You could WIN one of the most extreme adventures found in Australia. 

... more details in the next post

.Until then have a great weekend. 

Daniel Hardie

Nothing But Adventure 

This is me - Daniel Hardie

 

   

Nothing But Adventure Is On Blogspot

Welcome to my first blog post for Nothing But Adventure.

My name is Daniel Hardie, the creator and author of all the content found on Nothing But Adventure's website, travel and adventure eBooks and ezine articles. I'm an adventure enthusiast and I love to travel, explore, get outdoors and simply just try new things.

On the site you will find tonnes of information, tips and tours for all types of adventure including; extreme sports, outdoors and recreation, water sports, leisurely activities, ideas for the weekend and of course travel.

To find out more visit www.nothingbutadventure.com.au

Until then all the best...

Daniel Hardie
Nothing But Adventure