continent mount tabwemasana
Vanuatu ( or ; Bislama ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu ( Bislama : " Ripablik blong Vanuatu "), is a Pacific island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean . The archipelago , which is of volcanic origin , is some east of northern ___MASK21___ , northeast of New Caledonia , east of New Guinea , southeast of the Solomon Islands , and west of Fiji . Solomon Islands is a sovereign country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in ___MASK18___ lying to the east of Papua New Guinea and northwest of Vanuatu and covering a land area of . The country ' s capital , Honiara , is located on the island of Guadalcanal . The country takes its name from the Solomon Islands archipelago , which is a collection of Melanesian islands that also includes the North Solomon Islands ( part of Papua New Guinea ), but excludes outlying islands , such as Rennell and Bellona , and the Santa Cruz Islands . New Caledonia is a special collectivity of France located in the southwest Pacific Ocean , east of ___MASK21___ and east of Metropolitan France . The archipelago , part of the Melanesia subregion , includes the main island of Grande Terre , the Loyalty Islands , the Chesterfield Islands , the Belep archipelago , the Isle of Pines , and a few remote islets . The Chesterfield Islands are in the Coral Sea . Locals refer to Grande Terre as "" (" the pebble "). Located on the isolated west coast of Espiritu Santo , Mount Tabwemasana is not only the highest peak in Vanuatu , but also one of the highest mountains in the Pacific . At 1 , 879 metres ( 6 , 165 ft ) , Tabwemasana towers above the surrounding mountains and provides fantastic views toward the Coral Sea in East . Tabwemasana actually consists of two peaks and local folklore believes that these two peaks ( male and female ) come together in embrace at night . Until the 1970s the village of Kerepua was located on the flanks of Tabwemasana , a full day ' s walk to the coast through thick rainforest . However , in the late 1970s like many other mountain villages , Kerepua was relocated to the coast and now provides the launching pad for any summit attempt . Very few tourists climb Tabwemasana each year , with the number reaching the summit generally less than six persons per year . This is primarily due to the isolated location of the mountain and the physical difficulty of ascending the peak . Those wishing to climb Tabwemasana must first take a boat from the village of Tasiriki to Kerepua . From Kerepua you trek up a river before leaving the valley for a steep ascent up the mountain . Guides are required as the track is very difficult to follow . ___MASK21___ , officially the Commonwealth of ___MASK21___ , is a country comprising the mainland of the Australian continent , the island of Tasmania and numerous smaller islands . It is the world ' s sixth - largest country by total area . The neighbouring countries are Papua New Guinea , Indonesia and East Timor to the north ; the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to the north - east ; and New Zealand to the south - east . ___MASK21___ ' s capital is Canberra , and its largest urban area is Sydney .