Aunu'u

      Today we (Rick, Cyndi and Suzy) went to the nearby island of Aunu'u.  It's a small island off the eastern tip of the main island Tutuila; map below.  But it gave us the opportunity to drive all the way to that end of the island and explore.  Eastern Tutuila is somewhat less mountainous than the remainder; or better said, the mountains are somewhat lower.  But it has more beaches along the shore so it resembles the Pacific Island in your dreams - palm trees fringing sand and coral, surrounded by aquamarine sea.

     Here's where Aunu'u is located:

     You park your car at the village of Au'asi and take a small ferry.  It's actually not a ferry but a few pontoon boats running back and forth, operated by locals.  The fare is $1 each way for the 10-15 minute trip.  Here's a few photos of the docks and boats at the Aunu'u end:

Approaching Aunu'u from the sea.

Our Captain, with Tutuila east end behind us.

Aunu'u harbor; Matafou way in the distance

Aunu'u harbor

     There is but one village on Aunu'u.  Inspired more by loyalty than creativity, it too is called Aunu'u.  There are only a couple motor vehicles there, mostly utility and haulage types because there are no places to which one can drive.  The only roads are dirt tracks around the little village, and one up into the jungle which leads to banana and coconut plantations, and the dump.  These roads and some overgrown older roads serve as hiking paths around the island.  The island is somewhat oval in shape, about a mile wide at the longest.  We hiked all over, roughly a figure 8 around the island, and covered maybe 2 to 3 miles altogether.  Here are a few photos:

Overlooking Aunu'u, toward Tutuila

Suzy and Cyndi walking in Aunu'u

Rick and Cyndi hiking along.

Homes in Aunu'u village.

      You can see from the top photo that Aunu'u consists of an old, expired volcanic cone on the eastern half, with a relatively flat lower half on the west.  A loop of the 8 goes around each feature.  In the middle of the old volcano crater is a small lake; it's the only lake in American Samoa!  Aside from one spot where the loops join, you really can't even see it on your way around due to the height and thickness of the jungle.

Fa'imalivai, the only lake here.  Minnesota, this ain't.

Big banyan tree at trail intersection.

Coconut crab in a "borrowed" shell

     At the far end of the loop is a break where the ocean crashes against rock formations.  It's called Ma'ama'a Cove.  We stopped for lunch here, quite noisy due to the breakers but spectacular to be here.  Here is Ma'ama'a Cove and what you see there:

Big wave rushing into the cove.

Waves crashing up & over.

This shelf is about 20 feet above the ocean!

Tidal pools.

     Here's a video of Ma'ama'a Cove:

     The flat loop takes you by the ocean where coral rubble and sand pile up.  Rick did some shelling there - it was a treasure trove though most of the shells were bleached out.  I found a few really nice ones.  More photos:

Beach with coral rubble.

Empty sand beach.  Dream on!

Another beach, Matafou on Tutuila in background.

Old shipwreck off a rocky area.

View Northwest toward eastern tip of Tutuila.

Another wreck, on the beach.

      Aunu'u also has a small area of quicksand.  We saw that too.  So unimpressed were we that we took no photos  The area looks like a small stagnant pond surrounded by mangroves.  I imagine the quicksand lies beneath the shallow cover of water.  I wasn't going out there to find out.  Local legends have this as a place where spirits dwell and it is shunned.  There are also more recent stories told of people disappearing in feuds or drug disputes, thought to be in here.  Who knows?

     Adjacent to this is a rock formation with some shallow caves and an arch.  The waves were too heavy to get out there today, but here's what it looks like:

Arch; caves are to right.

Why we didn't walk out there.

      Back at the village we sought out the local convenience store - and only store on the island - which turned out to be a spare bedroom in someone's home with a refrigerator for drinks and a few shelves for sundry goods.  We were grateful for the cool drinks; and strolled back to the dock area.  Some local kids became friendly and joshed a bit with Suzy and Cyndi.  They love to pose; here they are:

The younger set in Aunu'u

      The trip back across was uneventful but for the great views as we went up and down on the ocean swells.  We explored the eastern edge before turning our car back home.  Even though Tutuila Island is only 17 miles long, it takes far longer to drive as the road winds around, with a speed limit of 25 which you often can't reach due to the potholes.  It took, for example, 1 1/2 hours to drive from our home in Leone up to the ferry to Aunu'u.  So we split up the return with a stopover at Tisa's Barefoot Bar for a pina colada.  Actually, thanks to Suzy, we had two!  Here she is:

Suzy at Tisa's - perfect end to a glorious day.

Aunu'u is a great day trip - an expedition back in time and space, the Twilight Zone of American Samoa.