Welcome to Apia, the capital and largest city of Samoa, on the central north coast of Upolu, the country's second-largest island. Apia began as a small village, home to just 304 people in 1800, and that village still exists within today's sprawling city, with its own matai, or chiefs, following fa'a Samoa, the Samoan way. The modern city was founded in the 1850s and has been the official capital since 1959. Its harbour was the scene of a notorious naval standoff in 1889. Let's explore the city, from a writer's hillside home to the seat of government.
Robert Louis Stevenson Museum
Photo: Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsWelcome to Vailima, the home of the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson, now the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. Stevenson settled in Samoa after touring the South Pacific, bought land in 1890 and completed his mansion by 1891. The house had five bedrooms, a library and the only working fireplace in Samoa. Among its treasures were a nude given to him by Rodin and a tablecloth gifted by Queen Victoria. Samoans called him Tusitala, the Teller of Tales, and he supported their political interests against colonial rule.
Mount Vaea
Photo: Teinesavaii · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsRising above Apia is Mount Vaea, a summit 472 metres high, about 3 kilometres inland from the harbour. It is best known as the resting place of Robert Louis Stevenson, who chose the mountain top for his grave. The day after he died in December 1894, Samoans carried his coffin up to the summit. The steep path is called the Road of Loving Hearts, and the climb takes about an hour on foot. On his tomb are his own words: Here he lies where he longed to be.
Immaculate Conception Cathedral
Before you stands the Immaculate Conception Cathedral, also called Mulivai Cathedral, the mother church of the Archdiocese of Samoa–Apia, which was created in 1966. The original cathedral on this site dated from 1857. After it was damaged in the earthquake of 2009, the church was rebuilt, and following three years of work the new cathedral opened to the public on 2 June 2014.
Baháʼí House of Worship of Samoa
Photo: Michael Coghlan from Adelaide, Australia · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia CommonsInland from Apia, in Tiapapata, stands the Baháʼí House of Worship of Samoa, the only Baháʼí temple in the Pacific islands. That is why Baháʼís call it the mother temple of the Pacific Islands. Its architect, Hossein Amanat, drew inspiration from the fale, the traditional Samoan house. Malietoa Tanumafili the Second laid the cornerstone in 1979, and the temple was opened in 1984. Step inside and look up: the building is 102 feet tall and can seat 700 people.
Mulinuʻu
Photo: Tattersall Studios · Public domain · Wikimedia CommonsNow we walk out onto Mulinuʻu, a tiny peninsula on Upolu's north coast. This small village, home to only a few dozen people, became the site of the colonial administration in the 1870s and is still the seat of government, home to the Parliament of Samoa. On 1 March 1900, the flag of the German colonial office was raised here, marking the start of German rule. Look out for the tombs of important figures, including Malietoa Tanumafili the Second, and at the tip of the peninsula the meteorology office, which began as a nineteenth-century observatory.
Falemata'aga
Our tour ends at Falemata'aga, the national museum of Samoa. It is housed in the oldest building on the island, a former school built by the German colonial administration. It is the only government-funded museum dedicated to Samoan culture. Its collection of more than three hundred objects explores Pacific island cultures, Samoan prehistory, Samoan culture and the environment. Look out for traditional tattoo equipment and prehistoric pottery.
Lomakuume