Apia, Upolo, Samoa

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Oceania 2025
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We stopped in Apia, Samoa today. This is not to be confused with American Samoa which is “right next door” but, with the current political climate in the US today, it’s hard even for the locals to visit relatives, etc. there (they need a visa). Anyway, this small island has been seen as strategically important for trade in the region and it has been over and controlled by a number of countries (most notably Germany, but also Great Britain, and ultimately New Zealand (as an administrator) until it gained its independence in 1962. Frankly, the locals never understood the idea of plantations and large crop production — they were subsistence farmers and fishermen. But, given that they were controlled by interlopers, they preferred the Germans who were good administrators, built infrastructure, and largely left them alone (especially related to their culture). A lot of what they built exists to this day. The British on the other hand were exploitive and violent toward the population. Ongoing civil wars took place with all the external forces choosing one side or another. After decades of fighting (including a two year standoff between the Germans, Brits, and the US, an agreement was reached where the two major islands were divided between Germany and the US and the Brits left. Germany also gave up its rights prior to World War I, only to be replaced by New Zealand. We were there on a Saturday when everyone only works a half day, so we didn’t get to see a lot. We started the day at Robert Louis Stevenson’s house/museum. He ended up spending the last four years of his life there, at a home he built named Villa Vailima (named after the village it is located in). It has been rebuilt multiple times because of storm damage from the frequent cyclones that hit this island. Stevenson came here because it found it a suitable climate for living with the tuberculosis that he had. He was well loved by the locals, but hated by the Germans because his decided effort to try to get them thrown out. He was buried up on the top of Mount Vaea, adjacent to his property but, because of all the rain that the town has received over the past few days, it was too muddy to reach. We also visited the local food and craft market that was quite huge. There were lots of things to buy there, but the “Made in China” bells were going off in my head. That’s not a big surprise given that today China (largely one family) owns about 30% of the businesses in downtown Apia. We also visited the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. It is a beautiful structure. It too has been rebuilt several times (the last in 2014) due to cyclones and earthquakes. Later in the day, we returned to town to walk around a bit, but everything was closing and the rains returned. It was definitely worth a stop, but we are now getting seriously back to civilization.

Cultural group that met the ship at the pier. This is by far the largest group we have had perform for us.
Visiting Robert Louis Stevenson’s house in the hills. It has burned multiple time and has been restored and had lots of different uses since his family left.
In fact, this safe is one of only two things in the museum that actually survived the fires.
Having said that, collectors from all over the world have donated pieces and/or reproductions to make this as reasonable a facsimile as possible.
It’s pretty clear that he was well-loved by the locals (including the royals) and was equally hated by the German occupiers as he continually tried to get them thrown out.
The man himself. While he came to Samoa for “the climate,” for his bronchial ailments, it was a stroke that finally killed him.
A Samoan dance done for us at the museum.
The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Apia. This too has been replaced/repaired multiple times because of the repetitive cyclone damage.
Two features of this church make it noteworthy — first, the fabulous woodwork, especially in the ceilings, …
… and the other is the mural inside the cathedral dome. Here you see Jesus on the right and a guy with a cigarette hanging out of his mouth in the foreground (not too sure what that’s all about)…
… and the Kava Master and Bowl on the other side. The things you do to bring on the locals…
We also visited the royal cemetery. All of the kings were buried under these step pyramids. The more steps and higher the pyramid, the more important that king was.
From there, we went to the local market. It was large, but not as busy as I would have expected.
One of the big surprises was the amount of cacao that they sold there. I love that they are in handwoven baskets.
An interesting branding concept.
The Apia Town Clock was built and gifted to the Samoan people in the 1920s by Ta’isi Olaf Nelson, a local businessman who was one of the leaders of the anti-colonial movement. It was erected as a memorial for his son, who had died in the 1918 influenza epidemic that claimed the lives of nearly 9000 Samoans. Since World War I, the Town Clock has also served as a monument to the Samoan-born soldiers who fought in that war.
This entry was posted in Cruising, Samoa, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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