We loved this piece of paradise so much ....

we wanted it to be a part of our special day so we planned to marry at Iririki Island on 3 October 2009.  We changed our mind leading up to the wedding and decided to marry here in Brisbane with our family attending but hold another ceremony in Vanuatu as all was booked and ready to go.  

It was a fabulous idea - we could share this special occasion with family but also have the wedding we hoped for in our "special place".

Time to start clearing ...

We hired some workers to start clearing, which they did with machetes at first but we had to hasten the process so we brought in the big guns!

We managed to acquire two smaller blocks across the road!

Starting to look better :)

Bonfire

After making contact with what seemed like hundreds of Real Estate Agents we returned to Port Vila for a week in May 2009 to try and find our small piece of paradise.  We had appointment after appointment, being driven all around looking at block after block of all suitable land (of course most were terribly overpriced) from Devils Point Road to Port Havanna to Eton Beach and more ..... and then the negotiations began!


We submitted offers on two blocks, one out at Devil's Point Road and the other at Erakor opposite Erakor Island Resort.  Unfortunately negotiations failed to secure these blocks and although disappointed, we believed those blocks were not meant to be ours and that something would come our way sooner or later.


Sure enough, a month or so later through our new friend Joel, we were contacted with regard to some uncleared land on second lagoon...... uncleared it was!

Really?  

It's a jungle out there!

Looking across to our block

It all began .....

Back in Christmas 2008 when circumstances brought us to Vanuatu for a 10 day much deserved holiday.
We totally fell in love with the island, its people and culture.   We met up with Joel Kaltapiri, who had contacted Neptune Marine in Brisbane with regard to outboard motors and he soon became one of our greatest allies.  He was a fountain of knowledge, a very decent man with a young family who lived in Emua Village in the North of Efate.  
During our holiday we also crossed paths with a number of expats who were now living in Vanuatu and of course the "wouldn't it be great if we could do that" started creeping into our conversations.  We came to the conclusion that if we wanted it bad enough, of course we could do it.  
And so our journey started......

Iririki Island

Hideaway Island

Iririki Island

Le Legon

Our Holiday Bungalow

Yes, we went up in the Seaplane!

Joel and John enjoying a cuppa