Photos of the Aleipata District, eastern Upolu, Samoa

OzOutback
Images of the World
Flag of Samoa

The Aleipata District, eastern Upolu

The east coast of Upolu island is known as the Aleipata district, a sub-division of the most ancient Samoan district of Atua in eastern Upolu.

View of Malaela
 
Huts near Ti'avea
 
Road in Aleipata
 
Children of Salea'aumua
 
Fales in Salea'aumua
 
Salea'aumua village
 
Pandanus leaves
 
Traditional fales
 
Church near Mutiatele
 
Aleipata High School
 
Mutiatele village
 
Fales and canoe, Pu'e
 
Satitoa village
 
Bay of Satitoa
 
Blowing a conch
 
Two fishermen
 
Across Satitoa Bay
 
Playing volleyball
 
Ulutogia village
 
Weaving in Vailoa
 
Doing the laundry
 
Family in Vailoa
 
Cricket in Lalomanu
 
View from Cape Tapaga
 
House in Aleipata
 
Village of Lotopu'e
 
Village along river
 
Vailoa Church
 
Vailoa village
 
Canoe, Ulutogia
 
View to Namua island
 
Church of Satitoa
 
Namua island
 
Lotopu'e lagoon
 
Lotopu'e church
 
Aleipata view
 

Historically Aleipata was very important; in the old days travellers from Manu'a (the easternmost of the Samoan islands, where it is believed the ancestors of today's Samoans first landed, now in American Samoa) on their way to Upolu and Savai'i would stop here; their host would be the chief of the village of Salea'aumua, the seat of government of the Aleipata district.

It used to be a rather remote place in 1977, when these first photos were taken, with a dirt road ending at Ti'avia on the north east coast and the rough Richardson Track leading to the cross islands road; there is now a good bitumen road with daily buses and there are even plans for an airport as especially the south east coast of Upolu has great tourist potential.

There are four small uninhabited islands off the coast: Nu'utele (1.08 km²), Nu'ulua (0.25 km²), Namua (0.20 km²) and Fanuatapu (0.15 km²). The islands are important nesting locations for seabirds and only Namua may be visited: it has a small resort with beach fales and may be reached by motor boat.