Port Havannah Marina Project · Havannah Harbour · North-west Efate, Vanuatu
Swap the rush for the reef.
Every property in the Port Havannah Marina Project, in one place: waterfront and canal-front leasehold lots, marina-side and road-front commercial sites, a hotel site and, as the basin is dug, marina berths. All on one of the Pacific's best natural harbours. We live here. This is why.
To be straight with you: this is the land stage. Lots can be settled now and the marina is under construction. Finished villas and berths come later, so right now it suits investors, builders and developers who want in early.
Photo: from above lot 118, looking over Havannah Harbour to Moso Island. The waterfront marina lots are along the shore on the right.
Why we live in Vanuatu
A slower, freer way to live.
Moving to Efate felt like stepping back in time, in the best way. Days run on the weather and the tide rather than the calendar. There is less traffic, less red tape and a lot more sky.
Village life is still the heart of it. People know your name, kids roam, and when something needs doing the community turns up. We have raised a family, built businesses and made lifelong friends here, and it has changed how we think about what a good life looks like.
Raw, tropical, and real. Not a resort version of the South Pacific.
We will be straight with you about the trade-offs. Supplies come by ship, things take the time they take, and island life asks for patience. In return you get warm water at the end of your lot, a harbour for your boat, and a pace of life most people only see on screen.
What daily life looks like at Port Havannah
- A deep, sheltered natural harbour facing Moso and Lelepa islands
- On the Efate Ring Road, with the main access road fully resealed
- Nearby: Ulei, Port Havannah village, American Pool, The Havannah resort, Moso Island
- Sailing, diving, fishing and island-hopping from your own pontoon
- A marina, hard stand, fuel jetty and marina-side shops planned on your doorstep
- A WW2 airstrip being reworked for scenic flights and outer-island hops
More than the reef
Cattle country, horses, and a serious fitness scene.
Efate isn't only beaches and dive sites. Behind the coast is open grazing land, and away from the water there's a strong, sociable community built around horses, livestock and staying fit.
Ranch life
Cattle, horses and rodeo
Vanuatu has a long cattle-farming tradition, with plenty of family-run farms and ranches across Efate and Santo, many of them French-owned. Our own family runs cattle here too.
The horse scene is strong. The Riders' Club and Club Hippique near Port Vila offer lessons, trail rides and a community of riders, and on Santo you can ride through plantations and along the beach.
Emma Thompson, who leads sales for the project, grew up with it and loves everything cattle, horses, rodeo and livestock. If that's your world, she's the one to talk to.
Health and fitness
Pilates, yoga and a strong gym culture
Port Vila has well-run gyms and a busy calendar of Pilates, yoga and group classes, with an active crowd of locals and expats of every age.
Local Pilates and yoga classes run six days a week. Add ocean swims, paddling, hikes and plenty of fresh local food, and it's an easy place to stay fit.
The cost of it
A lifestyle that's within reach
Riding lessons, gym memberships, fitness classes and weekends on the water cost a fraction of what they do in most Australian and New Zealand cities.
To be straight with you: imported goods can cost more, and some things take patience to find. But the things that make daily life good here — outdoors, active and social — are affordable.
Our neighbours
Riley and Elayna chose Vanuatu too.
Riley Whitelum and Elayna Carausu spent more than a decade sailing the world as Sailing La Vagabonde, the world's largest sailing channel on YouTube. In 2026 they chose Vanuatu for their family's first land home, and they're now our neighbours and friends. Their episodes show what we love about this place better than we can describe it: the land, the villages, the kava, the hurdles and the wins.
Videos open on YouTube. © Sailing La Vagabonde, shared with their permission. Follow them at youtube.com/@SailingLaVagabonde.
Land tenure
Fresh 75-year leases, confirmed by the Supreme Court
On 24 September 2026 the Supreme Court of Vanuatu ruled in Goodies Limited v Director of Lands (Judicial Review Case No. 26/1829) that leases created by subdividing a head lease are new leases. Like any lease in Vanuatu, they can run for up to 75 years, with the term agreed with the custom landowners.
The Department of Lands had registered 48 leases from our Port Havannah subdivision with 75-year terms, then refused to register 31 more unless their terms were cut back to whatever remained on the original head lease. The Court found that refusal unlawful, quashed it, and directed the Department to reconsider in line with the ruling.
What it means for you: a lot bought here can carry a full new lease term rather than the leftover years of an older lease. Ask us for the lease term on any lot you're considering.
The Port Havannah Marina Project
A working marina village, built by locals.
The project combines a marina basin, marine services, commercial sites and residential canal-front lots, with a hotel site and a reopened WW2 airstrip. The project is backed by Council of Ministers Decision N°276 (26 Sept 2024), which supports it from start to finish and grants duty exemption on project imports.
What's planned
- Marina basin with berths (draft layout, subject to change)
- Slipway, travel lift and marina hard stand
- Fuel jetty and commercial jetty
- Marina-side retail and car park
- Residential canal-front and waterfront lots with private pontoon potential
- Road-front commercial lots and a hotel site
- Reopening of the 1,200 m WW2 American airstrip
Where things stand
- DoneAll standard development permits secured, with full Vanuatu Government support.
- DoneMain access road to Port Havannah fully resealed. Subgrade for the estate's main access road roughed in.
- DoneSupreme Court ruling (24 Sept 2026) confirms subdivided leases can carry full 75-year terms. The remaining leases are expected to be registered soon.
- Any daySigned Environmental Impact Assessment expected very soon. Construction is paused until it arrives.
- In progressRadisson Hotel Group has proposed a 110-room Radisson Blu resort on the hotel site (lots 68–71), subject to Radisson board approval. Talks are also underway with a service station operator and food and retail operators.
- NextThe marina developers are bringing a suction cutter dredge into the country to dig the basin.
- EarlyA temporary boat yard at the marina entrance opens ahead of the basin, with haul-out, storage and repairs while construction continues.
- ~18 monthsOnce dredging starts, the marina basin and the rear canal behind the back residential lots are expected to take shape over about 18 months. Yacht access opens in stages as they're dredged.
- Late 2027Construction of finished villas and homes likely to start.
Timings are our current expectations as at October 2026, not guarantees. There's no fixed timeframe for berths yet.
Lots & prices · Price list 29 Sept 2026
Pick your lot.
All titles are leasehold. Prices are in Vatu plus VAT. Australian dollar figures are approximate, at 84.4 VUV per AUD.
| Lot | Area | Price (VT + VAT) | Status |
|---|
Lots marked "lease registered" already have their lease registered with the Lands Department. Lot sizes are from the master survey plan.
Marina berths
Register for a berth.
Straight answer first: berths aren't for sale yet. The layout is still a draft, they aren't priced, and the marina developer hasn't set a timeframe. Register now and you'll go on the priority list, hearing first when sizes and prices are released.
You won't have to wait for the basin to use the marina. A temporary boat yard at the marina entrance is expected to open first, with haul-out, storage and repairs while construction continues. Yacht access into the basin and canal will open in stages as they're dredged.
How to buy
Ways in.
Pick the one that suits your timing and plans. Whichever you choose, you deal directly with the project's own sales team, and we can build for you too.
Settle upfront, save 20% off list
Pay in full now for 20% off the list price. Utilities are connected later. This is a time-limited offer, and the developer may withdraw or change it at any time without notice.
5% deposit, held in independent escrow
Your deposit sits in escrow. The contract only becomes unconditional once civil works, finished lot levels, 2WD internal access and final EIA sign-off are complete.
Build now, pay or sell within 1–2 years
For builders and developers. Take the lot, build on it, and commit to pay for it or sell it within one to two years. Plenty of buyers want a finished home rather than land, so there's room for builders here. Terms by agreement.
We can build it for you
Our own crews handle earthmoving, site preparation, civil engineering and full design and construction, so you're not managing trades from overseas.
Request the buyer's pack
Available on request: price list, master site survey and layout plan, Google Earth KML file, restrictive agreement and covenants, and sample residential and commercial leases.
Ask for the packThe airstrip
Fly in to your own harbour.
The former WW2 "American Fighter Field" has a runway of about 1,200 m of crushed coral on the estate's land, fenced and cleared. Works are progressing to reopen it, subject to certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of Vanuatu (CAAV).
Land between the Ring Road and the runway is available for hangars and aviation businesses.
Uses we're planning for
- Scenic flights and charters
- Outer-island transfers and general aviation
- Skydiving
- Seaplane and helicopter operations
- Cyclone-resilient hangar storage
Who's building it
Local operators, self-funded.
The project carries no bank or commercial debt. It is funded from developer equity and cash flow from our working Vanuatu businesses. We're long-term Vanuatu dual citizens with more than 20 years of operating history, and we've subdivided and delivered more than 200 properties.
Marina development is being led by Tal Milfirer and Grant Macdonald (former CEO, Rosshaven Marine, Townsville). Our heavy machinery is also working on Phase 1 of the nearby Royal Caribbean Lelepa Island project.
Our Vanuatu business history
- Vanuatu Jungle Zipline, Skybridge & Gardens and Canyon Swing
- Goodies Foreign Exchange
- Vanuatu Bijouterie
- Eco Fresh and Teouma Farms Hydroponics
- Pandanus Waterfront Apartments, Pango
Enquire or book an inspection
Come and see it.
Tell us what you're after and we'll come back to you by WhatsApp or email. If you're in Vanuatu, we'll show you around the site.
mike.vanuatu@gmail.cominfo@lapitaestate.comMichael and Emma Thompson are the appointed sales agents for every property in the Port Havannah Marina Project: residential lots, commercial sites, the hotel site and marina berths.
Follow along
Watch the marina take shape: dredging, roads, the airstrip and life on the harbour.