Alofaaga Blowholes, Samoa

Alofaaga Blowholes, Samoa

In 2016, I visited the Alofaaga Blowholes, also known as the Taga Blowholes, on the island of Savai'i in Samoa.

The entrance to the blowholes is in the village of Taga.

Wikipedia notes that in this area, lava flows have created a series of tubes connecting a flat clifftop of lava rock with the ocean below. Waves breaking against the lower end of the lava tubes send water at high pressure up through the tubes, creating fountains that spray every few seconds.[2] As most of the land in Samoa is under customary ownership, the village charges a small admission for entry to view the blowholes. The area is unfenced and surrounded by wet, slippery rocks which can be dangerous. Falling into one of the blowholes would be almost certainly fatal.

A track along the coast can be followed west to the ancient village of Fagaloa.

I was in Samoa on holiday and did a cycling tour around Savai'i. A tour guide drove our luggage ahead to the next accommodation while we rode bicycles, which was a great way to see the countryside.

The people were very friendly and welcoming.

Savaiʻi is the largest and highest island both in Samoa and in the Samoan Islands chain. The island is also the sixth largest in Polynesia, behind the three main islands of New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands of Hawaii and Maui.

While it is larger than the second main island, Upolu, it is significantly less populated.

That made for a leisurely pace around the island, staying mostly in bungalows on the beachfront called fales.

What struck me about Samoa, apart from the natural beauty and friendly people, was the number of churches.

Every village has several churches of different denominations and the people are very faithful.


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