A young boy plays with a ball as his mother searches through the ruins of their family home in Port Vila, Vanuatu. Photo / Getty Images
New Zealand Defence Force personnel have battled rough conditions and coral reefs to reach remote islands on Vanuatu's sweeping archipelago to bring much-needed food, water and medical supplies.
Army and Navy staff worked using small inflatable boats and the HMNZS Canterbury's helicopter to land resources on the islands over Easter
weekend, the Defence Force said.
The amphibious sealift vessel HMNZS Canterbury has now moved south to operate around the southern part of the Shepherd Islands and the islands of Makura and Mataso. These more remote islands have had little contact with the outside world since the cyclone, the NZDF said.
Teams were forced to abandon traditional landing operations and improvise in order to bring the supplies - including food, water and medical staff - onto the islands, the NZDF said, adding "almost every available means has been used to get the job done".
"The smaller volcanic peak islands make beach access much more difficult," said the Commanding Officer of HMNZS Canterbury, Commander Simon Rooke.
