"Talofa" from American Samoa! That’s hello in Samoan. American Samoa is a US territory in the South Pacific, consisting of several islands. The largest island is Tutuila, site of Pago Pago, the capital city where we will spend our day.
English is widely spoken here, and the currency is the US Dollar. The residents are US nationals rather than citizens and they use a US style of government. At the same time, there is a strong Polynesian culture, which was on display for us in the welcoming ceremony we were treated to upon our arrival. A youth group from a local church performed traditional songs and dances on the pier despite the rain. A few showers did not spoil their enthusiasm for our visit.
The landscape is dramatic, with lush rainforest surrounding us. Not far from the port is the National Park of American Samoa for hiking and exploring the biodiversity of the area. A few well-known attractions are popular destinations for the independent travelers as well as those on tour: The Fagatogo Market for local produce and handcrafts, Flowerpot Rock – a symbol of the coastline, Two Dollar Beach for snorkeling in calm waters (we heard it’s now $5), and the Haydon Museum to discover the history and culture of American Samoa.
On our last visit here, we took an "Aiga," a family bus with bench seats and open windows to see many of the important sights. Considering the rain and having no real mission today, we decided to stay on board and admire the landscape from afar.
Apia, Upolu, Samoa
We have crossed the International Dateline, so January 20th was skipped and we’ve moved on to January 21st and right into our next port of Apia. We’re in the capital city of the island nation of Samoa, on the island of Upolu. It has a distinctly colonial style and we’re going to get a great feel for it today on a tour with our Cruise Specialists guests.
We headed out in two 20 person vans for our 30 guests to explore the highlights. We like these small coaches where everyone can clearly hear the commentary and the ability to get on and off the vehicle is so much quicker and easier than a big bus.
Our main attraction was the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. This beautiful island estate was originally built by the famous author as his home and has been subsequently used as government offices, before being restored and turned into the important museum it is today. Stevenson is buried at a site that is a 45-minute hike up the mountain above his former home.
The house has sprawling verandahs, numerous bedrooms, and the Stevenson Library with tons of memorabilia, photos, books, and paintings from the era. The grounds are beautifully manicured and provide a serene environment for visitors. After a guided tour of the interior rooms, we were treated to an awesome performance by a local family group.
We experienced a kava ceremony and energetic singing and dancing. One highlight was a 7-year-old boy, who danced with the adult males and knew all the intricate steps! He was a joy to watch and made everyone smile.
We’ve had "Aloha" and "Talofa" so far in our stops. Today, we have "Bula", the all-purpose friendly greeting in Fiji. It means welcome but also life, health, and happiness. We love how the locals express this greeting to anyone who walks by. We cheerfully return their warm welcome.
Savusavu, Fiji
Our first of the three stops in Fiji is a new port for us, called Savusavu. Fiji is made up of over 300 islands, and we are on one of the larger ones called Vanua Levu - but Savusavu is just a small town of about 3,000 residents.
We arrived by tender at the busy Copra Shed Marina, where local taxis and tour operators were waiting to take passengers around the island. Dozens of outdoor stalls lined the main street, full of jewelry, wood carvings, and colorful clothing for sale. There were ship tours to go snorkeling, visit a local village, or take a walk in the rainforest to a beautiful waterfall.
We knew it would be hot today, so we arrived early hoping to beat the worst of the heat in getting a few geocaches that were relatively close to the pier. We visited the Nakama Hot Springs, where boiling hot water bubbles to the surface. We had heard that the locals sometimes use this heat to cook. Sure enough, there were bundles perched on the rocks, covered with fabric, which looked like big pots of food.
From there we walked about a mile down the road, passing several small hotels and lodges, to the Koko Mana Chocolate Farm. We never quite made it up to the farm, as the sun came out and the heat became too much for us. We did enjoy the lush foliage and gorgeous flowers we spotted along the way before returning to the ship.
Suva, Fiji
Suva is the capital of Fiji. With a population of over 100,000, it is gigantic compared to Savusavu. As we were sailing in, it looked nothing like the Fiji of your imagination. We’re in the container port, across from the main bus station, busy with cars and people.
We were glad to be getting out of town for a tour with our Cruise Specialists guests. Our Fijian Cultural Exchange took us first on a highlights tour of the city. We had photo stops at the Presidential Palace and Government House and stopped to admire the Thurston Gardens and the Grand Pacific Hotel, where Queen Elizabeth was a guest during her reign.
Our focus for the day was Sawani Village – a real community of native Fijians, anxious to share their traditions with visitors. The kava welcoming ceremony is a must-do and many of our guests decided to try it. We’ve done it in the past and with the color, texture, and taste of muddy water, we decided to let others have a turn.
We were guided around the village to see samples of their homes and their church and then had a wonderful array of snacks freshly made by the villagers. They served cooked plantains, coconut scones, Fijian donuts, a burrito-like sandwich called "roti" filled with potato or chicken, and a local delicacy called "bila" made with fermented tapioca, coconut, and sugar. All very tasty and filling. After we ate, the singing and dancing began, and we were encouraged to join in with the dancers. Quite a few did. It was all good fun, and our hosts were so friendly, welcoming and eager to please. It was an excellent way to spend the day.
Lautoka, Fiji
Lautoka is on the opposite side of the same island as Suva. We arrive at a container port, with shuttles provided to a shopping center. This is again a big city, where getting out of town is a good idea.
A popular activity here is to go to a resort to swim, relax on the beach, and have lunch. Even the ship was offering a tour to the Hilton Resort, an hour drive from the port. You already know that we are not beach people, so this was not for us. There is also ziplining, a visit to thermal mud pools, a wildlife park, and a day cruise to a nearby island. None of these activities called to us, so we created our own spa day on board.
One place we did hear about is the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. It is a large botanical garden, famous for its collection of over 2,000 types of orchids and numerous tropical plants. The orchids are attributed to the late actor Raymond Burr, who started the facility to house his personal orchid collection. It’s about a 20-minute drive from the port, so reliable transportation is a must. Perhaps another time.
Sea Day
A bumpy day at sea followed. It’s Barn Dance night and almost all the musical venues are being turned over to Country Western activities. We are encouraged to grab our cowboy hats, jeans, and boots and join sing-a-longs and line dancing. Even the main stage show tonight has a country/folk theme, featuring songs by famed artists like Dolly Parton, Johnny Cash and Glen Campbell. Should be fun.
New Caledonia
This will be our second visit to New Caledonia. Our first port of call is to the small town of Easo on Lifou Island, one of the group of three Loyalty Islands off the coast of New Caledonia. Known for pristine beaches, snorkeling, and experiencing authentic Melanesian life, it is remarkably undeveloped.
We didn’t see very much on our last visit, so we decided to take a tour. Some choices would have been a visit to a vanilla plantation, the tall Cliffs of Jokin made of fossilized coral, swimming and sunbathing at Luecila Beach, and a village visit to see the Chief’s hut and enjoy a traditional meal. We decided on a Tropical Forest Walk and Secret Grotto. Only a 15-minute drive from the pier, we were escorted along the narrow path in the lush and very green Lifou Forest. We heard about the native trees and plants before arriving at what looked like a hole in the wall. It led to an underground cave where we walked carefully down into it to see the interesting stalactites, stalagmites, and the ancient, fossilized coral. Back in the forest, we saw a demonstration of various hunting techniques. A live coconut crab happily posed for pictures. A delicious fruit juice was served as a refreshing ending to our 2-hour tour. Just the right amount of time and a pleasant variety of activities made for a lovely day.
We had one more stop in New Caledonia in the city of Noumea. We enjoyed walking along the seaside promenade on our last visit to this more upscale resort and tourist-oriented town.
The tours offered here were a wide variety of experiences: kayaking; a zodiac ride; scenic drives; a museum tour; a cultural center; an aquarium visit; beach time at Amedee Lighthouse Island. The largest natural lagoon in the world is located here, so a drive around the island by trolley, bus, or taxi was a popular option.
We had planned to look for some geocaches today. So, we took a taxi to Ouen Toro Park and Lookout with some friends. High up at the end of the peninsula, the views of the lagoon and offshore islands were spectacular. There are several cannons mounted at the top that date back to 1941.
Rather than follow the road down, we ventured off on one of the many steep and rocky trails that run through the park. It was more challenging than we expected. By the time we got back down to the promenade, we were exhausted but we did find several geocaches along the way. A stop for gelato was a refreshing break. We did walk a distance along the shore, which was lined with restaurants, shops, hotels - all right in front of the beach. It would have been about a five mile walk back to the ship, so we decided on a taxi instead.
Looking forward to another day at sea to get refreshed for the next outing.
Fondly,
Wendy and Steve
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