Because we will be in New Zealand more than 12 months out of 24, we each had to have another Chest X-Ray, a physical, and blood tests to submit with our request for a Visitor's Visa Extension.

HIV: Negative ... Syphilis: Negative ... Hepatitis: Negative

We weren't too worried about the first two, but are relieved by the results of the third. After all the kava we drank in Vanuatu from coconut shells that had passed the lips of entire male population of several villages which, we are certain, had never been washed, we were half expecting to contract hepatitis. Looks like we dodged that bullet.

When visiting Vanuatu some people load up on all the vaccines and prophylactic drugs they can force into their bodies. We chose to take none. Mosquitoes that carry both dengue fever and malaria are present on most islands and hepatitis is a concern in places without decent water supplies or satisfactory hygienic practices. Nothing can be done for dengue fever except avoiding bites in the first place. We feel that is our best course of action for malaria as well. The mosquitoes that carry it are most prevalent during the summer months and bite only at night. We were there in winter. The three main prophylactic drugs recommended by the CDC all come with potentially unpleasant side effects and no guarantee of actually keeping one safe from the disease. Should malaria be contracted, there is a cure. The vaccines for Hepatitis A, B and C seemed somewhat ineffective as well.

We decided we would always carry and drink our own water, use bug juice with the highest concentration of DEET, cover up if mosquitoes were present, and be back on Tenaya at dusk. All good intentions, but in reality, we failed miserably. Usually the DEET and our lightweight pants and long sleeved shirts remained in our packs while we found ourselves engaged with locals on shore way past dark. We often ingested local food and water offered to us by generous hosts, and drank kava that had first been chewed.

So it is with a sigh of relief that we received the results of our blood tests. No diseases, no infections, no liver problems. We hope the Immigration officials here in New Zealand deem us worthy to remain in their enchanting country well into 2012.

See pictures and the story of our passage from New Caledonia to New Zealand on our website: http://www.tenayatravels.com