It is an hour’s journey across Apolima Strait with views of the smaller islands of Manono, Nuulopa and Apolima.
There are two ferries – this is the smaller which is not as comfortable as the one we travelled on.
We made good use of the four wheel drive vehicle
visiting Pulemelei, a pre-European star temple, reputedly the biggest in Polynesia.
It’s a steep climb up a man made 12 metre high mound of volcanic rocks.
It was very overgrown when we were there so difficult to get a feel for its scope. This link gives a picture when it has been cleared.
The island is volcanic in origin and the last eruption of Mount Matavanu was only a hundred years ago. There is an entertaining drive up a four wheel drive track to the crater. The track is maintained by the self appointed guardian known as The World Famous Craterman.
He makes signs in his strange pseudo txt-speak like this one
He has quite a following and even his own Facebook page.The crater is impressive but difficult to get a picture conveying its size and depth as the forest has grown up inside. These will have to do.
If you don’t have a four wheel drive you can walk, but it’s a long hot climb.
The lava flow inundated a number of villages. At the edge of the destruction it is possible to see a church that was damaged.
Inside you can see the outline of the corrugated iron roof that dropped onto the molten lava
and nature doesn’t take long to recolonise the area.
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