Apia is the
capital city of Samoa, it's located on the northern coast of Upolu Island on a natural
harbour at the mouth of the Vaisigano river. It's population was 38,800 in
2001, the town is a mixture of old colonial houses and more modern western style
houses with some traditional Samoan houses (fale). Between the interesting places to visit
in Apia there are: the Maketi Fou, the new Apia market where Samoans sell a wide variety
of tropical fruits and vegetables, it's a great place to see expecially on Saturday
morning.
Another special attraction is the Police band of Samoa, that at 7,50 every
weekday, marches along Beach Road playing the national anthem while the national flag is
raised. It's worth watching the cops in their white helmets, light blue uniforms, and
lava-lavas, it seems to be in the old colonial times, great! The Clock Tower, it's in the
centre of the city and it was erected as a war memorial. The colonial-style Courthouse, at
the corner of Ifi'ifi Street, in colonial times was headquarters of the New Zealand
trusteeship administration. Upstairs in the Courthouse is the small Museum of Samoa.
Across the bridge of Mulivai Stream stands the Catholic Cathedral, begun in 1885 and
completed 20 years later. Beyond the Maketi Fou is the Mulinu'u peninsula, here worth a
visit the German monument to the memorial of the crew of the German ships Adler, Eber and
Olga, lost in a hurricane in March 1889; to commemorate the same accident here are also
the American and British memorials. Another German monument commemorate the raising of the
German flag in 1900. The Fale Fono (Parliament House) is a sigular modern building.
Several tombs of Samoan chiefs stand beyond the Apia Yacht Club. Above Apia is Mount Vaea
(475 m.) where is the Robert Louis Stevenson's Grave (there ia a rather steep walking
track to the grave it takes about 30 minutes), the old Vailima estate where Stevenson
lived is now home of the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.
