American Samoa

The 29^th of April found us back in US territory in American Samoa on Tutuila Island, one of the least visited islands in the South Pacific.

Pago Pago, the territorial capital of American Samoa

Tutuila Harbour is surrounded by mountains

Our tour, led by a local family group, was on the island’s unique open-air busses. These colorful busses, built on a pickup truck base, have wooden seats and open windows which provide, as our guide described it, “air conditioning.”  Of course it only works when the bus is moving!

Our tour included a variety of stops at scenic locations while our guide talked about life on Samoa. One famous place is the Flower Pot Rocks.  Local legend tells the story of young lovers, Fatu and Futi, whose canoe sank in a storm while they were sailing between islands.  They tried to swim to safety but both drowned just a short way from land and were transformed into two beautiful rocks.

 

The black lava beaches and tropical island scenery is beautiful.

Family is central to Samoans who typically live and often work in multigenerational groups.  Our guide talked a lot about his family and part of our tour included visiting their compound to learn more about the Somoan way of life.  Family members performed some traditional dances for us there.

Nearly all Samoans are Christian and church is a very important part of their lives. Shops and restaurants are closed on Sundays and after church families spend a quiet day together. There is no drinking or any boisterous activity on Sundays.  

Churches are pristine and beautifully cared for

There are no graveyards on on the island because family members want to be buried in the village where they grew up. Many people bury their relatives near the family home, often in the front yard.  Even after death, relatives continue to be important members of the family and conversing with the dead is a common practice.

We visited the market in Pago Pago but by afternoon when we were there most of the fresh produce and fish was sold.  We did see these amazing handmade baskets of cocoa pods which the Samoans use to make a chocolate drink, not unlike hot cocoa.

Fiji

Fiji is made up of 322 islands, 110 of which are inhabited. Extended family is deeply valued in this traditional Polynesian culture and multigenerational families are tightly bound together by shared property because land in Fiji can be leased but never sold. The people are warm, friendly, and generous.  

Our first port was on the island of Fiji but we didn’t stay there long.  Instead we took a short boat ride to our private paradise for the day, Savala Island.  

 About 75 of us enjoyed lazing on the sand, eating local food and drink, and snorkeling right off the beach. 

Unfortunately, it was a bit windy and the water wasn’t terribly clear so while the snorkeling was good, it was not as amazing as what we saw in New Caledonia.

The coolest underwater encounter was with a group of black-tipped reef shark pups.  They were about half a metre long and too small to be dangerous.  Our island hosts also regularly fed them so they were quite used to being around humans.

The next day we visited Savusavu on Vanua Levu Island where we spent a few hours in the Waisali Rainforest Reserve.  Unfortunately, the excursion was poorly organized and our guides did not speak enough English to tell us anything about the rainforest.  I did get a few nice pictures, however.

Rainforested mountain with tree ferns in the foreground

Wild orchid

Orb spider

The sunsets were gorgeous in Fiji.  

Noordam wake as we sailed away from Fiji

New Caledonia

In 1774, explorer James Cook was the first European to sight and name a large island in the South Pacific which he called New Caledonia because it reminded him of Scotland. Today the country’s three main islands and multiple small ones are a territory of France and all islanders are French citizens.

We visited Maré and Lifou islands in New Caledonia. These unspoilt places have few visitors so there is nothing artificial or touristy about the Kanak people or their islands. 

Eni beach on Maré Island 

We visited the small village of Eni on Maré Island.  The people welcomed us with a traditional greeting song and a feast.

The islanders grow much of their own food and use traditional food preparation techniques including the bougna (pronounced boon-ya).  Fish or meat and yams, sweet potatoes, or plantains are combined with coconut milk and wrapped together in banana leaves. Tied in a bundle with coconut fibres, the packet is then buried under hot stones to cook.  The results are delicious.

Bougna

In addition to tasting bougna we were also served wonderful fresh fruit including passion fruit, watermelon, oranges, and the best pineapple I have ever had.

The Kanak people live in small villages and simple homes.  There are few insects and little need for window glass or doors.

Seen all over the islands, traditional thatched houses are still used, mostly for important people like visiting family or the chief.

 Church is a very important part of islanders’ lives and Sunday services are attended by most everyone.

Eni Village church

The sea around the islands is pristine and the fish and coral are amazing.

Jokin Bay on Lifou Island

The snorkeling at Jinek Bay on Lifou was fantastic.  

Giant clam

Puffer fish

The people of Lifou, the second island we visited, have been cultivating vanilla, which grows wild on the island, since the 1990s.  The dried and aged seedpod of an orchid, vanilla is not a native plant but was introduced by a missionary from South America in 1860.  Cultivating vanilla is laborious and time-consuming and takes more than a year from flowering to the final product.  It does however, bring a good price and is a valuable source of income to the island.

Green vanilla pods

The children of New Caledonia are completely at home in the sea and love to play there.

MS Noordam

When I first learned about the South Pacific as a child, it fascinated me. The islands, beaches, climate, and people seemed so beautiful and exotic, but also impossibly far away. Never did I think I would actually get to visit this fascinating place, so when the opportunity to sail there came along, I was thrilled.  

The next few blogs will give you a small taste of the South Pacific, but first, our transportation – the MS Noordam, a ship of the Holland America Line (HAL). The Noordam was built in 2006 and carries 1900 passengers and 800 crew. Our voyage takes us from Sydney, Australia to Honolulu, Hawaii.

The Noordam at Circular Quay

We departed from Circular Quay just after sunset and the views were magnificent.

This is our tenth cruise on HAL and we like their ships very much.  They’re beautifully decorated and full of marvelous art as well as lovely floral arrangements.  The food and service is topnotch and so is the music and entertainment.  It feels like we're spending 15 days in a five-star hotel complete with live music and Broadway shows.

Central atrium

George Willem Opdenhoff, 1807-1873

Fresh flowers

Athena, Red Marble, Empire Style,1800-1820

There are many fun activities on board such as learning the Hula, trivia and music trivia contests, game shows, wine tastings, special dining experiences, pickleball, educational presentations, and on and on.  People who haven’t been on a cruise often wonder if we get bored but the truth is we are usually very busy and don’t have enough time to take in all the great options on board.

Wine tasting

View of the South Pacific from the main dining room

Our first stop is New Caledonia.  More about these islands in the next blog.