Mele (also known as Hideaway Island) is a Polynesian outlier and

islet An islet ( ) is generally a small island. Definitions vary, and are not precise, but some suggest that an islet is a very small, often unnamed, island with little or no vegetation to support human habitation. It may be made of rock, sand and/ ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

. The island is owned by the local Mele villagers, but is leased to the owners of Hideaway Island Resort. On the seaward side of the island is a marine reserve with abundant tropical fish and other sealife. The island is accessed by a 24hr boat service from nearby Mele Bay beach and offers accommodation and watersports to visitors. Mele has one of only a few underwater post offices in the world, which is open daily and allows visitors to post letters that are postmarked in a waterproof manner.

History

In archaeological analysis, Mele has been a Polynesian outlier as it was settled by Polynesian seafarers. The island has since been a privately owned resort. On 26 May 2003, the world's first underwater

post office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letter (message), letters and parcel (package), parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post o ...

was opened.

Wildlife

On the shore of the islet, various species of bird, lizard, and

hermit crab Hermit crabs are anomuran Decapoda, decapod crustaceans of the superfamily (taxonomy), superfamily Paguroidea that have adapted to occupy empty scavenged mollusc shells to protect their fragile exoskeletons. There are over 800 species of hermit c ...

scatter the coral shore. Surrounding the islet is a wide variety of aquatic species including fish, eels, sharks, and vegetation. All of these organisms are accommodated in a luscious and lively system of reefs that support the biodiversity of the wildlife.

References

External links

Mele Island / Hideaway Island (Google Maps) - Virtual Globetrotting
{{authority control Polynesian outliers Islands of Vanuatu Shefa Province Resorts in Vanuatu