Samoa Western, Samoa Western

This morning we drove to the Rhoio area of the island. I went on a hike and tour of the Lava tubes and cave climbing in the Te Pahu network of caves. Very interesting climbing down into the caves near one lava tube and emerging through the darkness with our headlights several hundred feet away at the opening of another tube. The lava rock is scattered all over that section of the mountain. We caught glimpses of 2 beautiful water spout rainbows that I fear my camera did not capture. After lunch, we toured Orango, the Birdman Cult competition site situated at the Rim of Rano Kau volcano and got a view of the amazing vista within it. The Birdman practices eventually took over as the predominant religion on the island until the mid 1860’s. Each year the island leadership was determined by the individual who could scale down the cliffs, swim through shark infested waters to an island and retrieve an unbroken egg from a sooty tern nest. Prior to the competition they lived in tiny stone huts built on the side of the cliff. This island is truly a remote location. Only one plane comes and leaves each day. Emergency medical care has to be by boat which takes about a week to get to Chile. This afternoon when we depart, we will be on the plane for approximately 10 hours with a maintenance stop inTahiti. We will jump the international date line and spring forward 19 hours. This should start messing with our sleep cycles! Back on board our plane. First lecture, The Power of Maps, by Jan. As we “jumped” the international date line, we all cheered, kissed and the pilot did a wing “wave” to celebrate. Then the crew distributed personalized “diploma certificates” for crossing over!