My new Samoan friend, Simi, is a big man, short and stocky, with arms like barrels, each upper arm bearing a traditional tattoo. He is dressed in a red and white lavalava and on his wide feet he wears the national footwear, flipflops, known as Jandals.
I met Simi in a waterfront bar in Apia, and when he found out that I was here to write about Samoa he offered to show me around the next day. He worked for the government, he told me, but he had the next morning off.
Simi picked me up in his huge ute the next day, and drove east to show me the beautiful cave swimming pool at Piula, out onto the Mulinu‘u Peninsula near Apia to see some important historical monuments, and inland to see the famous sliding rocks at Papase‘ea.
Nothing was too much trouble for Simi. He was cheerful, hospitable and a goldmine of information about Samoa, its history, culture and sport. Simi knew it all. When I offered him money for petrol he refused to take it.
Back in Apia, driving through the crowded town streets, many people grinned and called out "Talofa!¡± to Bill, who waved back cheerily. At every street corner, a group of men waved and shouted at him and Simi called back in Samoan, precipitating more laughter.
He was obviously a wellknown personality in the town. As we parked outside my hotel and I climbed down from the cab, I asked him, "What government work do you do, Simi¬¡± He heaved himself across the seat.
"I‘m an undercover cop.¡± Samoa prides itself on being The Cradle of Polynesia, justifiably, for people have lived on the islands of Samoa for about 3000 years, and ancient Samoa was a dispersal centre for oceanvoyaging migrants to other island groups of the Polynesian region, including the Cook Islands and the Marquesas. Samoa was named for the sacred Sa, chickens (Moa) of Lu, the son of Tagaloa, the god of creation. The largest island of Samoa, Savai‘iki, is similar in name to the Polynesian spiritual homeland, Hawaiiki.
The second largest and most populous island is Upolu, where the capital town of Apia is located. There are also a few tiny islands between these two main islands and at the eastern end of Upolu.
Samoa has preserved its traditional culture more strenuously than any other South Pacific island nation. Known as "fa‘a Samoa¡±, these customs and traditions are particularly strong in Samoa‘s hundreds of villages. For example, although English is widely spoken and understood, Samoan is still the first language of most people.
Also, many Samoans, women as well as men, have their bodies adorned with the traditional tatau, the ornate tattoos which in some cases extend from the midriff to the knees. This is called the pe‘a. The traditional Samoan skirt, or lavalava, is worn everywhere, by men, women and children.
Every village in Samoa is ruled by the fono, or council, and its judgements overseen by the matai, the holders of chiefly titles. The rulings of the fono govern such matters as the village‘s land use and disputes, fundraising and the bestowing of chiefly titles.
There are strict rules regarding dress and behaviour which visitors to Samoan villages should follow. Socialising or noise during the prayer hours in the early morning and evening are heavily frowned upon, and on no account should people eat while walking through a village. When visiting a local beach, waterfall or cave, it is customary for visitors to pay a fee of two or three tala to the village authorities in whose domain the feature lies.
Samoa is a devout Christian nation, thanks to the zealous work of Protestant and Catholic missionaries during the 19th century. One of the most striking features of the 45minute drive from Faleolo Airport to Samoa‘s capital town, Apia, is the number of imposing churches in each of the many villages. Many of the churches are new, while some date back to colonial times. They all add dignity, even grandeur to the village, standing out among the fales (traditional houses) and the fono‘s meeting house.
A visit to a church service is a must when visiting Samoa, to observe the intensity of the worship and the beauty of the congregation‘s singing. Samoans have a great love of music and display exceptional musical talent in choral singing and with westernstyle instruments. The sasa, a group dance, is performed during Samoan cultural evenings, as is the siva, a languid, female solo dance.
For the visitor, a stay in a Samoan village provides an authentic cultural experience which no modern hotel can equal. Many villages on the most attractive stretches of coastline on Upolu and Savai‘i offer beach fales for rent. These are built right on the sand, in traditional opensided style, with sleeping mats instead of beds. They rent for just a few dollars a night, and for a few dollars more the village will supply guests with meals in traditional (ie vast) quantities.
It is a blissful experience to fall asleep on a Samoan beach of white sand at the edge of the lagoon, lulled by the sound of waves on the reef, and awake to a sunrise over the sea. The best areas to rent a beach fale are on the southeastern coast of Upolu and the northern coast of Savai‘i. Here, too, are a number of quality resorts, including Sinalei on the island of Upolu, and Stevenson‘s on Manase on Savai‘i.
Enticing as the rural areas of Samoa are, a few days should be set aside for sightseeing in Apia, a roughandready but friendly town located around a broad, sheltered bay. Apia is an important port for fishing boats, cargo vessels and overseas cruising yachts.
Along Beach Road, which lines the shore, are a number of restaurants and bars, some of which could be straight out of a short story by Somerset Maugham, who wrote memorable fiction after he passed through Samoa early last century.
Two quality hotels, the renowned Aggie Grey‘s and the Hotel Kitano Tusitala, stand at the eastern and western ends of Apia respectively. "Aggies¡±, as the locals call it, has a welldeserved reputation for service and style. There is a large food market in the centre of Apia, behind the central commercial district, as well as a fish market by the bus station and a craft market in the same district, at the western end of Beach Road. All are well worth a visit.
The best way to get to know Apia is to walk along the sea wall from one end of town to the other, from Aggie Grey‘s to the Mulinu‘u Peninsula. Everyone walks the sea wall, old and young, locals and visitors.
The wall follows the harbour edge and provides sweeping views of the port and waterfront, including the gleaming white Catholic cathedral with its huge block gables and stained glass windows. There is also an interesting historical walk to the end of the Mulinu‘u Peninsula, where there are several significant landmarks from Samoa‘s colonial era and the local yacht club, which offers good meals to casual diners. If the heat gets to you in Apia (it averages 32 degrees throughout the year in Samoa), visitors can always get a taxi. Every second vehicle in Apia is a taxi, and fares around town are only three tala, or NZ$2. Those who prefer to drive themselves should bear in mind that in Samoa, as in neighbouring American Samoa, vehicles drive on the righthand side of the road.
Numerous halfday or oneday excursions can be taken from Apia. A must is a visit to Vailima, the beautifully restored house of the famous Scottish writer, Robert Louis Stevenson, who lived from 1850 to 1894. Stevenson, loved by the Samoans and known as "Tusitala¡±, or teller of tales, bought land on the slopes of 475 metrehigh Mt Vaea, a forested mountain which rises steeply behind Apia. In 1888 he had a mansion built, and he spent the last years of his life there. The tomb where he and his wife Fanny are buried stands atop the mountain, and although it‘s a gruelling onehour climb up through the rainforest from the house, the views of Apia and Vailima make it well worthwhile. Surrounded by broad lawns and gardens, the house is full of Stevenson‘s memorabilia and can be toured every day except Sunday. Vailima is one of the loveliest colonial houses in the South Pacific. Within walking distance of Apia, just east of Aggie Grey‘s, is Palolo Deep, a natural crater in the lagoon, and a marine reserve where divers can don a mask and snorkel and easily observe the reef fish. Snorkelling gear is cheap to hire. Palolo Deep also has the advantage of being open on Sundays, when little else is.
There‘s a small picnic area beside the lagoon, and nearby is Apia‘s best beach, Vaiala. A few kilometres inland from the University of the South Pacific, behind Apia, are the Papase‘ea Sliding Rocks. There are excellent freshwater swimming pools as well as a natural rock slide. A halfhour‘s drive along the coast east of Apia is Piula Cave Pool, a natural freshwater pool fed by a spring below a Methodist mission school. Swimming here is a beautifully refreshing way to cool off in the intense heat. On the southwestern coast of Upolu is a stunningly lovely beach at Lefaga. It is also known as the Return to Paradise Beach, because it was the location for a Hollywood movie of that name in the 1950s.
Ecotours are popular on Upolu, providing the opportunity for visitors to see the rugged interior and its lakes and rainforests, while a day trip can be taken to the little island of Manono, between Upolu and Savai‘i. Cultural tours which conclude with a traditional Samoan feast and ava (kava) ceremony are also possible, while most of the larger hotels feature a "fiafia¡± night, when traditional dancing, drumming and singing are showcased, accompanied by a huge buffet dinner. Fa‘a Samoa can be seen in its purest form on the "big island¡± of Savai‘i.
On this massive volcanic island with its mountainous spine (the highest point, Mt Silisili, is 1858 metres high), the many villages are dotted around the coast, while inland there are lava flows, rainforests, waterfalls and swimming pools. There are no real towns on Savai‘i, but along the eastern and northern coasts are exquisite villages, each with its churches, malae (green), sportsground, fales, fono, brightly flowering frangipani trees, hibiscus bushes and white sand surrounds. The people take great pride in grooming their villages, so that each is beautifully presented. A long, straight road which cuts across the northeastern corner of Savaii‘i leads to the northern coast, where the beaches are sublimely beautiful, the pace of life is unhurried and the lagoon is like satin. Travellers can lie on a mat in their own beach fale, raise their glass to the setting sun, and make the traditional Samoan toast, "Manuia!¡±
