My next hops after Samoa brought me to Auckland for a night, then to Rarotonga, which is the capital island of the Cook Islands. While on Rarotonga, I spent about a week scuba diving, hiking, driving my hired scooter around, and enjoying the relatively cooler “winter” sun on the island’s beaches.
Following Ofu and American Samoa, I spent a night CouchSurfing in Apia with Paul. Paul was a fantastic host, and our Friday night program included the Zodiac Bar (where I quite coincidentally bumped into an Australian friend) and Paddles Night Club. On Saturday we toured the island in Paul’s 4WD with Dave (another CouchSurfer) and Henrik. Indeed, it was another extremely positive CouchSurfing experience!
Following Lalomanu, I hopped from the island of ‘Upolu to Tutuila where I made a pit stop in Pago Pago, American Samoa. However, I didn’t stay long, since the primary reason for my visit to American Samoa was to see the island of Ofu and its pristine two and a half mile white sand beach.
Ofu Beach is part of the National Park of American Samoa, and it’s meant to be one of the most beautiful and secluded beaches in all of the South Pacific. It is both, and often the only tracks in the sand apart from mine would be those of the numerous hermit crabs.
The National Park also protects the reef just off the beach, and according to the park guide, it’s one of the best preserved reefs in the area. With nearly 900 species of fish, 200 species of coral, and warm water that’s as clear as bottled water, it was some of the best snorkeling I’ve ever done.
In total, I stayed seven nights on Ofu at the friendly Va’oto Lodge. For its remoteness, I was immensely impressed with the facilities (hot water showers, cold refrigerators) and the quality of the meals (lasagna with pesto, salted corned beef brisket). Owing to the fact that I was the sole visitor to the lodge during the majority of my stay, Ofu (and all of American Samoa for that matter) is definitely an underrated tourist destination.
Happy Fourth of July from Ofu, American Samoa! And congratulations to Andrew and Wendy, who are getting married today – I’m toasting you from 7,000 miles away.
I’ve spent almost the entirety of the past week at Taufua Beach Fales on the beach of Lalomanu, which is on the southeast side of ‘Upolu. As far as beaches go, this was probably one of the nicest (and cheapest) I’ve stayed at, so my original 3-night stay got extended to 6 nights.
For less than $30 a day, I enjoyed an open fale (small beach hut) right on the beach, delicious all-you-can-eat breakfasts and dinners, and some of the clearest/cleanest/warmest ocean water I’ve ever experienced. I became a master of the four S’s – swimming, snorkeling, sunning, and sleeping – and in no way was it boring; in fact, the time actually seemed to pass faster than usual, which surprised me on more than one occasion. At any rate, saying Lalomanu was great would be an understatement, and the “Places to Return” list has just grown by another line.
