Lighthouses of Vanuatu

Vanuatu is an independent nation in the southwest Pacific Ocean, west of Fiji and northeast of New Caledonia. During the colonial period, Britain and France maneuvered inconclusively to gain control of the archipelago. Finally, in 1906, the two countries worked out a joint arrangement for administering the islands as the Condominium of the New Hebrides. The country became independent in 1980.

Vanuatu has some 65 inhabited islands in a loose, volcanic chain about 1300 km (800 mi) long. The capital is Port Vila on the island of Efate in the central part of the chain. The second largest town is Luganville on the island of Espiritu Santo near the northern end of the country. During World War II, Luganville was an important base for Allied naval forces fighting the Japanese at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands.

Many of Vanuatu's lighthouses were knocked out of action by Tropical Cyclone Uma in 1987, and we do not have good information as to which of them are in service today.

ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume Kof the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. Light List numbers are from NGA Publication 111.


Eretoka (Hat) Island Light, September 2007
photo copyright Peter & Shelly; used by permission

Santo (Espiritu Santo) Lighthouses
Palikoulo Point (Naoreure Point)
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 23 m (75 ft); three white flashes every 15 s. 21 m (69 ft) square pyramidal square skeletal tower, painted white. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located on a promontory at Pêcherie, about 8 km (5 mi) east of Luganville near the southeastern corner of Espiritu Santo. Site probably open, tower closed. ARLHS VAN-004; Admiralty K4880; NGA 3496.
Tutuba Island
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 24 m (79 ft); one long white fkash every 5 s. 21 m (69 ft) round concrete tower. No photo available. In a Google satellite view the tower appears abandoned in dense forest. Located on the southeast side of Tutuba Island, where it serves as a landfall light for Luganville. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS VAN-005; Admiralty K4877; NGA 3512.
* Million Dollar Point
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 12 m (39 ft); four white flashes every 60 s. 10 m (33 ft) square concrete tower. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. The light marks the north side of the eastern entrance to Luganville. The promontory came to be called Million Dollar Point after the U.S. military sank a fortune in surplus equipment offshore at the end of World War II. This underwater junkyard is now a very popular site for scuba divers. Located about 5 km (3 mi) east of Luganville. Accessible by road. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4880.4; NGA 3500.
Aore Island
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 24 m (79 ft); two flashes every 10 s, white, red or green depending on direction. 20 m (66 ft) white skeletal tower. Google has a satellite view, and the tower is visible on the shore near the center of an aerial photo (click on the photo for enlargement). The light marks the south side of the eastern entrance to Luganville. Located on Chapuis Point at the northeastern corner of Aore Island. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS VAN-002; Admiralty K4880.6; NGA 3504.

Epi Lighthouse
Cape Foreland
Date unknown. Active(?); focal plane 207 m (679 ft); four white flashes every 20 s. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower, painted white. Red-roofed keeper's house. No photo available, but Google has a satellite view. Located atop a high promontory on the west side of the island of Epi. Site status unknown. ARLHS VAN-001; Admiralty K4862; NGA 3540.

Efate Lighthouses
Pango Point (2)
2010 (station establishment date unknown). Active; focal plane 22 m (72 ft); white flash every 6 s. 22 m (72 ft) two-stage tower, including a 7 m (23 ft) aluminum skeletal tower mounted atop a 15 m (49 ft) square cylindrical concrete tower. The tower is unpainted. A photo of the lighthouse nearing completion is at right, and Google has a satellite view of the location. Built by local contractors without heavy equipment, this lighthouse replaced a 22 m (72 ft) skeletal tower toppled by Tropical Cyclone Uma in 1987. Located on a promontory on the east side of the entrance to the natural harbor of Port Vila. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty K4852; NGA 3572.
Eretoka Island (Retoka Island, Hat Island)
1960s. Reported inactive; focal plane 96 m (315 ft); two white flashes every 10 s. 20 m (66 ft) square skeletal tower with gallery. A distant view of the lighthouse is at the top of this page, but the tower is not seen in Google's satellite view. The island does resemble a hat from a distance. According to comments on the original of the photo, the lighthouse was built privately by Ernie Reid, who held a lease on the island. It has been abandoned and inactive since sometime in the 1970s. In 1967, the grave of the legendary 13th century Melanesian chieftain Roi Mata was discovered on the island, and as a result the island is now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Located atop an island off the west coast of Efate. Accessible only by boat. Site status unknown. ARLHS VAN-003; Admiralty K4858; NGA 3560.
Pango Point Light
Pango Point Light, January 2010
photo copyright Vanuatu Daily Post
permission requested

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: North: Solomon Islands | East: Fiji | South: New Caledonia

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Posted February 14, 2009. Checked and revised March 8, 2012. Lighthouses: 7. Site copyright 2012 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.