Adventure Magazine

The following day we were up early and
paddled out to Nuulopa Island in the
half-light to watch the flying foxes return
to roost on this tiny, uninhabited tooth of
an island that had once been part of a
volcano rim. The bats forage overnight
on the plentiful papaya and other tropical
fruits of the main islands before returning
to crowded roosting trees which are
overhanging the sea. Here they fight and
squabble noisily for a branch from which
to hang and sleep the day away. Our
attention was divided between the bats
and the spectacular orange sunrise that
sparkled off the water around Manono.
That afternoon we snorkelled through
a colony of giant clams in Le Faga Bay.
These fluorescent molluscs are almost a
metre long and located in a sheltered area
less than 100 metres from shore. With a
water temperature more like that of a tepid
bath, we inevitably left the water only once
we were too wrinkled as we were never
going to be too cold.
By day 5, we had had several adventures
outside the reef, including visiting
Nuusafee Island. Landing there involved
negotiating the reef entrance. A few of our
group in their kayaks decided to surf small
reefs on the way. The sense of being alone
in paradise was intense as we swam in the
lagoon and picnicked on the white sand
beach.
For most of us, the highlight of the trip
was Namua Island. To get there, we had
taken an unusual route, paddling from the
beachside resort of Lalomanu around the
outside of Nuutele Island. We had to be
careful as there was a metre-high swell
running with a significant chop created
from the backwash off the island. You
never know what you might see in this
tranquil, unspoilt water; out of the blue
(literally), someone spotted a whale spout
a few hundred metres away, and as we
watched it, from a different direction a
fine blubbery-smelling mist drifted over
us from another whale that had breached
unnoticed right beside us. September
and October are the peak months when
humpback whales (tafolā) visit Samoa, but
you can often see them all year round.
The only habitation on Namua is a small
collection of Beach Fales on the sandy
beach in a wilderness paradise. The island
rears up behind the coast, providing a lofty
lookout for whales and dolphins in the bay
and is a convenient base for exploring the
nearby islands. From here, we kayaked
across to Fanuatapu Island, where we had
recently found and cleared a track to the
small lighthouse. From the lighthouse, we
watched frigate birds in aerial dog fights
with other tropical birds. The frigate birds
have no protective oil in their feathers and
so get most of their food by stealing it on
the wing off other species.
Lesa, the 13-year-old daughter of the
proprietor of the Namua resort, suggested
we attempt a walk around the outside of
the island. "It is easy enough at low tide
if the sea is moderate." Then she added,
"Don't tell my dad, but we got swept off the
rocks one day."
That was just the incentive we needed,
and we spent the next hour clambering
around. Fortunately, it was a relatively
calm sea so we could enjoy the island’s
wild side. We were admiring the walking
fish on the rocks, the boobies circling
overhead to the backdrop of the crashing
surf.
Towards the end of our trip, we paddled
to Nuutele Island. Entering the deep
water outside the reef entrance, we were
surprised by a giant turtle just resting
on the surface. Too big to be worried
by our presence, he looked at us lazily
before slowly swimming away. An
escort of swooping gannets and petrels
accompanied us as we approached the
island.
Nuutele island was once home to a leper
colony, and it seemed that sea conditions
might be calm enough for us to land. A
narrow channel had been blasted through
an inner reef, and we took turns running
the gauntlet to crash onto the shore of
rounded coral boulders in a very wet
landing. The colony's ruins were mute
testimony to how brutal life before penicillin
was. The foundations were littered with
coconut shells tossed there by big swells,
and the only water supply was a trickle
down a rock face.
Under a Samoan setting sun, we were
being fanned by the warm tropical breeze
as we had each day of the trip. We
finished back at our cottage with a meal
of seared premium masimasi tuna steaks
and a local ribeye steak with green papaya
salad. And inevitably, we planned the next
trip over one too many Vailima beers and
glasses of fine New Zealand wine.
Outdoor Samoa have safely run bike and
kayak tours in Samoa for 14 years. With
a fleet of over 100 bikes and 20 modern
sea kayaks they provide 9-day all inclusive
tours from $1,750 NZD.
Contact Ross and Frances at:
office@outdoor.co.nz to organise
a custom tour or join a group.
Outdoorsamoa.com
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