Fiji
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu

Samoa
New Zealand

We left Sinalei and headed into Apia to check in at Aggie Greys, where we met Emma. We headed out to Aleipata via Le Mafa Pass and Richardson Road. As we drove up through the pass the view was amazing, there were no clouds hanging over the mountains and the sky was perfectly clear with no hint of haziness. Emma said that there were very few days in the year when it is so clear.

The last time we visited Aleipata the roads were either of sand or large pebbles, since then extensive roadworks have been carried out and it is now tar seal all the way.

We reached the beach at Lalomanu where we paid 10 tala to park the car and make use one of the little beach fales. It was after midday and the tide was out, but the water was still deep enough for snorkelling. The coral starts about 40 feet from the shore and while not as spectacular as what we saw in Vanuatu the range of coral and fish was the most diverse we had come across in Samoa. There were also large tracts that were mainly dead coral and rubble, but with signs of new coral regrowing. We found a possible explanation for the dead coral when I came across a Crown Of Thorns starfish, a pest which in Australia has led to the devastation of large areas of the Great Barrier Reef. Turning the starfish over with a stick, we saw that it had been devouring several pieces of coral. We used the stick to carry it to the shore, where one of the villagers shouted out asking us if anyone had been hurt. If you step on one they can cause very nasty wounds to the feet and the Samoans believe that the best treatment is to turn it upside down and apply the underside of the starfish to wounded area. We left the starfish upside down on the beach to die.

We experienced a few problems with refreshments. There is a shop over the road from the beach but when I went to buy some drinks the woman that runs it told me that it was closed, when I asked what time it opened, she just shrugged her shoulders and said it would be open sometime later. We got into the car and headed back east towards a small coffee shop we had noticed earlier in the day. The menu consisted of either fish and chips or hamburgers. After placing our order we were told that we would have to make a phone call to the person that was responsible for cutting the chips. Rather than waiting for an unspecified period of time we headed off in search of another shop. The first we came to only had milk and Vailima but the next had Coke, Fanta and other cold drinks. The lesson learnt from this was always take your own refreshments since you cannot rely on finding them as you travel around the island.

After dropping Emma of at the Genesis Gym we returned to Aggie Gray’s. Whilst waiting for Emma at the bar so we could take her to the fiafia, we bumped into a friend of ours, Enoka Puni who was with Jerome Gray writer of the well known song “We Are Samoa”.

Although we missed the start of the fiafia we did get to see most off it, and were somewhat disappointed with it. It portrays Samoan culture as Aggie Gray’s thinks it should be, always stressing the Aggie Gray’s. Emma said that it is not the Samoan culture that most Samoans know about. We also felt that the singing was not of the same quality as at the Tusitala. However at the end of the show Marina Gray performed a siva Samoa that was incredibly graceful. After this everyone had to move to pool where the siva afi, (firedance) was performed. Whilst a being spectacle, it was over the top and very contrived, involving people juggling whilst climbing coconut trees and standing on a paopao in the middle of the swimming pool.