Talofa Beautiful Samoa

Did you know that Duane “The Rock” Johnson is Samoan? I didn’t but then again, I’ll never forget it, as the locals in Samoa are never too shy to remind you.

Samoa is magical. A far-far away place likely the most remote I’ve been to. Flights are infrequent and limited to Brisbane, Sydney, Auckland, Fiji or Hawaii. And that’s hard even if you live on that side of the world! But imagine the jetlag traveling there from Europe or the east coast of the US? Luckily for Steph and I it was only about 3.5 hours from Auckland.

I hadn’t witnessed anywhere as untouched and desolate anywhere before. Samoa is like a terrarium. It’s lush and green, simple and natural on one hand and then on the other you’ve got the mist of the sea, the turquoise landscape of the Pacific Ocean.

Local Samoan house on Upulou

Each year traveling over Easter holidays to the South Pacific there is always a risk of cyclones or other natural disasters. Two out of the last five years I had to cancel trips to Fiji and Vanuatu last minute, but yet again, I took another gamble with booking a flight to Samoa this year. No regrets here.

“Talofa”, Captain Pati of Saletoga Sands greeted us at Apia International Airport with a huge smile and a fresh coconut for each of us. That was the beginning of my new found appreciation for fresh coconuts, and Samoans of course. As his wife sat silently in the passenger seat, chatty Pati educated us the entire hour to our remote resort on the far side of the island. We learned about Samoan customs, key phrases, and free things to do at the resort; but most importantly we learned about Duane “The Rock” Johnson.

Our beach front ‘fala’ was just what we pictured for our 3-day relaxation escape from reality. We were given a complimentary sandwich and a foot massage voucher on arrival, shown our private outside rainfall shower, and were grateful of a full menu that didn’t rely on meal times and a cheesy buffet.

Steph at our Beachfront fala at Saletoga Sandsa

Waking up to the ocean lapping outside our hut with a strong sea breeze in the air, we spent time gazing out to sea on our ocean front recliners, kayaking and stand up paddle boarding in the afternoons, then doing water aerobics which gave us an excuse to go to happy hour in the swim up bar and get messages in the spa.

Steph stand up paddle boarding, Saletoga Sands, Samoa

As I lay with my book staring out at the overwhelmingly surreal landscape, towering palm trees provided shade from the blistering heat and staff with hibiscus in their ears kept the resort pristine, I finally felt truly relaxed and content. This was just what I needed.

On the second day I received my one month valid Samoan drivers license. Sounds scary as I properly haven’t driven in too many years but I was confident in the fact that there were only about 3 roads on the entire island. This isn’t the type of island either where there are tourists everywhere driving around causing a havoc of holiday making, this is Samoa and literally the only people who are around are the locals, dogs and wild pigs roaming alongside the road.

I never thought I would said my best day would be anything other than lying in the sun, but our afternoon adventuring around the island was something I’d recommend to any visitor.

Church on Upulou, Samoa

As we left the resort and skittishly laughed over the unkempt, bumpy road, we were in awe at how lush the landscape was. Now we properly were shown why there was a reason to go beyond our 4-star resort. Around each bend came a new small town. The locals walked alongside the road, played soccer in their front gardens, or sat in their open air, windowless houses going about their daily lives. We witnessed so much from a simple car window.

But we got out outside exploring too. We visited a Togitogiga Waterfall in O Le Pupu Pue National Park; we walked along the beach where true backpackers slept amongst the stars in basic falas; and I wished we did it, even just for one night.

Togitogiga Waterfall

As things caught our eye I’d simply pull over to snap a picture – of churches, colourful houses, the memorising ocean and neighbouring islands and even the chickens that slowly crossed the road. At one point two wild horses began galloping at our car, so I stopped, screamed, then laughed harder than I had in such a long time. Only in Samoa.

I have a confession though. There was one thing that brought me to Samoa and it was Tu Sua Trench.

Tu Sua Trench

But at first it wasn’t what I expected. We turned down a not well marked gravel road to a simple car park with the ocean not too far off in the distance. We paid our 20 tala entry fee then were standing in the middle of manicured lawns, floral gardens and long steps down overlooking the rocky ocean cliffs. But then I saw it!

A massive whole in the ground of green. Tu Sua literally means giant swimming hole and is definitely the most unique natural wonder I’ve experienced. A collapsed volcanic lava hole, this is now Samoa’s most famous tourist attraction and rightfully so.

Steph and I were lucky though, it was the end of the day and there were only a few people left swimming in the hole. We missed the daily resort tours and school children. But first, we had to get down the 30 meter long ladder and that was scarier than I ever imaged it would be.

So there was Steph, floating in the waters below as I snapped a few pics and stood at the top of the ladder yelling down that I was unsure if I could do it. Of course I would though, this was my ultimate Samoan dream. I clung to each wrung of the ladder, holding on so tight, carefully stepping down to feel my own weight before letting go. This was a serious task and I’m surprised more people aren’t injured. Or maybe they are.

I finally got to the bottom and reached the dock, took one look down and all the sudden the gap between the water and dock seemed a lot deeper than it looked above. I was scared again. Eyes closed, nose held I jumped into the warm sea water to greet my friend.

We were lucky as a few minutes later the last group left and there we were, just Steph and I floating around in the middle of a volcanic crater the colour of jade. I couldn’t help but smile with glee – it was in the very thing I had shown my friends photos of in the weeks leading up to my trip, and it looked just like the pictures despite some being skeptical it actually would! Even more so as when we left we took one final picture from above, when it was quiet and still and all of the visitors were gone for the day.

To Sua Ocean Trench empty

On our last afternoon we moved on to Aggie Greys, a Sheraton resort less than 5 minutes from the airport. I was overwhelming surprised. This was by far the best view we’ve had our whole time in Samoa! The perks are limited to the view and proximity to the airport as there is the drawback of it’s nature being family friendly, large and over priced. In the end though it did the trick for a night but I’d recommend exploring the island further for longer stays.

Aggie Greys, Samoa

One things for sure, Samoa is the place to go before it’s a “thing”. Everyone smiles and waves, it’s so peaceful and untouched and the remoteness speaks for itself, let’s hope it stays that way.

Adventuring the Great Ocean Road

“Iconic Australia,” they say. “Car stopping scenery,” they’ve boasted. “Breathtaking natural wonders,” I read.

And it’s all true. The 243-kilometer stretch of road along Victoria’s Southeast coast is certainly to be admired. Even better, as a first timer I learned that what I like to lazily refer to as the GOR (Great Ocean Road) is the world’s longest war memorial; built from 1919 to 1932 in remembrance of those who died in WWI by it’s own returning soldiers.

Just like them we had a plan. Luckily though we averaged more than 3 kilometers a month. Leaving early on a Saturday morning we took the highway coupled with some back roads and traveled inland for about 4 hours directly to Warrnambool, the largest city along the Road just near its start. From there, we slowly made our way along the coast back toward Melbourne while seeing what was on offer.

Great Ocean Roadtrip

And as far as Warrnambool is concerned I’ll tell you what’s on offer. Kermond’s Hamburgers is its biggest claim to fame and rightfully so! This old-school joint, still serving thick malted milkshakes in white aprons, was packed to the rafters. They keep the menu simple: burger, fried onions and bun. Customize it with normal stuff: tomatoes, lettuce, cheese or Aussie add-ons i.e. fried egg, beetroot, mayo. “Every bite of that vinegar jalapeno was like heaven in my mouth,” my Aussie travel companion slash foodie Nidya, slurred with her last bite.

Kermond’s Hamburgers Bag

Kermond’s Hamburgers Diner

Kermond’s Hamburgers Sign

We left excited to officially start our GOR journey but were quickly disappointed once we entered Allansford Cheese World. With a name such as Cheese World they set pretty high expectations. I mean, we practically did a 180 to get there as one would assume according to their advertising that there would be a monumental amount of cheese coupled with delicate wine tasting. What we experienced though was a service station, fast-food restaurant, Yellowtail retailer and tourist shop rolled into one. In the back, in the small room labeled Cheese, we were resurrected by delectable aged cheddars and somehow walked away with a varietal of 5 hefty wedges to consume over the weekend.

Cheese World

We traveled on and just as we began to smell the salty sea air and the coast came into view the sky turned overcast and it began to drizzle. We pulled off at the first few scenic lookouts to get some early snaps in a foggy view of the cerulean ocean contrasted against amazing limestone formations. I was starting to panic that my once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to snap the much anticipated – the whole reason we drove for hours and hours – this is not really happening I’m sure it will clear up any second – no really, is it seriously raining – iconic rock formations would be ruined by fowl weather.

Scenic Drive Great Ocean Road

King of the World

Great Ocean Road Sign

Finally we reached the holy grail of Port Campbell, home to the famed Twelve Apostles (now actually ten) and “heart of the Great Ocean Road”. The tourist buses lined the parking lot and the selfie sticks were endless. I was thankful that I canceled the tour I booked six months ago and was here on my terms, or at least in a small group of intimate friends thanks to Wes’ amazing patience and driving skills.

But we were fast about it while still taking it all in. My head unknowingly blocked endless selfies and my hair whipped against my face causing a uni-brow in nearly every picture. Just as we were about to depart and began walking away the clouds cleared and the sun shimmered causing the right light on the striking water. It was stunning. Camera out, I finally got my shots. We could conclusively rest for the evening.

Lisa Vecchio at Twelve Apostles

Twelve Apostles Uni-brow

Ten Apostles

Selfies Twelve Apostles

Twelve Apostles

In Apollo Bay, our 4-bed lofted studio at Coastal Motel offered the right mix of comfort and location just across from the beach and walking distance to all of the charming restaurants and shops in town. Even better, we had a heap of cheese to consume along with boutique wine and beers we brought with us. In fact, the week prior I had just won a case of 14% (ABV) Jumping the Shark (Hungarian oak barrel-aged saffron’d imperial red ale aka intense) from Melbourne craft brewers Moon Dog and needed a team to consume them with. The Fonz couldn’t have done it alone either.

Sunday morning we were back on the road heading inland to explore Great Otway National Park and the Otway Fly Treetop Adventures. Word to the wise, the winding, twisting, I-was-near-vomiting curves of the road to get there are to be cautioned about. But for real, my window was rolled down and my head was hanging out like a fatigued dog. $25 is a steep fare to walk on steel structures at the top of some trees and better value if you opted for their zip lining tours albeit for a much heftier price. We proudly boasted that between four of us we had zip lined in South Africa, Peru, and Laos so gave that a pass. But at 25 meters above the ground, the lush rainforest and distinct natural fauna made for a unique walk and we had no regrets for the experience, despite us nauseatingly needing to snake back the way we came once in the car.

Otway Fly Group Shot

Caterpillar in Otway National Park

Big Tree in Otway Park

Sky Tower at Otway Fly

Otway National Park

Friends at Otway Fly Adventures

Further along the coast sat the most amazing pub in the small town of Wye River. Wye Beach Hotel is more than just a charismatic beachfront bar and restaurant. Its exquisite food, coupled with an unexpected local beer selection and epicurean wine list was remarkable. For a true quiet holiday off the grid I’d recommend staying at one of the small hillside lodges. We closed our evening off with a curry back at local yet upmarket Apollo Bay Hotel before our final stretch home the following day.

Wye River Pub

Friends at Wye River

Surf at Wye River

Wye River Beach

Some of the best and curviest parts of the drive are around the quintessential beach town of Lorne. Shopping, restaurants, bars and beach – this popular spot with Melbournians was very busy on the sunny Monday. Luckily we were able to snag a table for breakfast at Lorne Beach Pavilion overlooking the beautiful sea to the sweet sound of children running and crying everywhere. Full on avocado smash, we parked ourselves at the edge of the sand and took in a few rays before continuing on and passing under the famed Great Ocean Road sign.

Relaxing in Lorne

Lorne Beach

Great Ocean Road Lookout

Great Ocean Road Sign

Now here’s the best part of coming home. We missed out, or actually intentionally avoided the popular seaside towns of Anglesea, Torquay, Jan Juc and others on our way back to the city in order to side track to the Bellarine Peninsula just outside of Geelong.

Terindah Estate and Jack Rabbit Vineyard share both a driveway and the coastline offering picturesque backdrops of vine against sea to sip against yet are two separate wineries. Applause to Will at Terindah for an exquisite presentation of their wines and scoring us a seat in the fully booked out restaurant to taste beautiful kangaroo, dory and lamb. Terindah was an all around standout! Their Chardonnay soft and buttery, Pinot Gris and Sauv Blanc surprisingly untraditional and their Shiraz/Viognier and Pinot Noir no brainers. I bought them all and want to come back again and again and again. So I will…

Terindah Estate Group Shot

Christmas in South Australia

My first Christmas in Australia, what can I say. Simply put I was sold on the promise I was going to shear a sheep.

Christmas away from home will never replace Christmas as I know it, nor should it try to. But at a minimum this Christmas gave me insight into a new Australia. I wanted to avoid the feeling of Christmas but in the end I walked away with more than I could have anticipated.

I flew to South Australia the evening before Christmas Eve to spend the holidays with my flat mate Wes and his family. All I knew about where I was going is that I would first fly the hour to Adelaide, then get on a small commuter plane and after arriving in Port Lincoln drive another hour north. Tell that to any Australian and they nod, “ah the middle of nowhere”.

Peering out of the window before landing in the Eyre Peninsula, farmland stretched for hundreds of miles then hit the sea. I don’t believe I’ve ever seen the contrast of country and sea smashed against each other. I started picturing mermaid sheep. Mer-sheep? But once I arrived I was greeted with such gracious hospitality that didn’t stop until I boarded the plane back to Melbourne.

Rockeby Farm Pantry

I spent that first evening on Rockeby Farm, the family farm Wes grew up on. Driving down the pitch-black dirt roads late at night, the air quiet, I squirmed at the thought of knowing that there was no one around for miles. Everyone knows I’m scared of the dark. But the old farmhouse, built in early 1900s, was warm and I spent a few hours getting to know his parents, Sue and Mark, who kindly taught me a bit about their farm properties as we sipped a few wines. We spent only that first night on the country farm though and were off to the beach in Port Neill for the next few days.

But first Wes took me to town. We spent Christmas Eve morning sitting on the Tumby Bay pier eating fresh chicken sandwiches from Ritz Café, watching a young boy expertly fish alone off of the side, as Wes told me stories about growing up in such a small, rural area. Tumby as it’s known, is a good 30 minutes from the farm and is where he went to school – one school for all children from kindergarten to 12^th grade. There were 46 kids in his grade when he started; he graduated with 16 and was only one of 6 to go to university. Talk about small town ambition.

Fishing in Tumby Bay

Tumby Bay Pier

He then whisked me away to Boston Bay Wines, a small boutique vineyard and cellar door set on a hill where the vines overlook the ocean, just outside of Port Lincoln. We sampled the gamut and stocked up for Christmas with their Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and award winning Riesling.

Lavendar Farm

Dellacolline Estate

Boston Bay Wines

There was no stopping us there, so we were off to Delacolline Estate next. Stepping out of the car we were greeted with the sound of hundreds of bees chatting away over their afternoon lunch. I was so ecstatic at the thought of visiting my first lavender farm, the sweet scent overwhelmed the property and the fields of purple snuggled next to the vines made for a beautiful backdrop. Not to mention the 2005 Riesling was a stand out and we also couldn’t resist a bottle of Sparkling Shiraz, as it’s an Aussie Christmas tradition after all.

The Eyre Peninsula is known to be one of the purest seas in the world. Remote and desolate, with many untouched bays it makes for pristine fishing grounds. It’s a region that prides itself on sustainability and is where seafood such as oysters, abalone, tuna, prawns and more is exported from daily. Of course I had to try some. Sarin’s Restaurant in the Port Lincoln Hotel is the best spot in town to devour the famous Coffin Bay oysters, which is exactly what we did before stopping off in quiet and stunning Coffin Bay itself.

Coffin’s Bay

Port Lincoln Tuna Farm

Port Lincoln

Oysters at Sorin’s

We stayed at the beach house for the next few nights, and that evening I accompanied his parents and siblings to the local pub. Wes unfortunately had an emergency oyster spew on our ride home so recovered in bed alone. In a town of 300 people, the one pub is where everyone, and I mean everyone, goes for a social gathering; parents, grandparents and small children included. I felt a treat being introduced as the foreigner from far away America and giggled to myself as it seemed every second person was named Hannah.

I woke up Christmas morning to a quiet house and decided to start the day with a run on the beach. As I approached the half-moon bay of Port Neill, Mark’s words at the pub the night before couldn’t ring in any truer. He told me, “Why go to a beach with lots of people? If there’s people, just go to the next one”. I told him I never knew such a luxury.

Port Neill Beach

As I began to run, I saw the sand ahead, the water clear blue to my right and the sun beaming down against it; and that’s when I got emotional. I think it hit me all at once. The sparkling water and unexpected beauty really let the distance and pure remoteness sink in. Christmas, and this couldn’t be any more of a contrast of what I’d be doing at home. It’s exactly what I asked for if I couldn’t have the real thing. In that moment I felt the luckiest person in the world, and it was a moment for me that was incredibility awesome.

Even more awesome was when I got back to the house I had eggs and bacon waiting for me. We then exchanged a few gifts. I was overjoyed for the generous touch of perfume from my flat mate and homemade heating pad Sue made with grain from the farm, a gift I had been secretly hoping for. Even more special was the Christmas-themed box and stocking that made its way from the US then onto the plane with me so I could open a gift from my family on Christmas morning. The day followed with an impromptu game of tennis in the sun, some reading and sunbathing and the enjoyment of our wine purchases from the day prior.

Watering flowers

Boxing Day, while still very casual and relaxed, was celebrated with even more grandeur as all of Wes’ 3 siblings and their partners, as well as his grandparents attended at the beach house for a traditional seafood lunch feast. As I cracked open my popper, I found myself realizing I’ve picked up some Aussie slang like the common contradictory response of “yea, no”. The outback must have gotten to me.

Before getting too settled in Mark had myself, Wes’ brother Lewis and girlfriend Chelsea out on his boat at dusk to catch the next day’s lunch. Chelsea and I caught 7 snoek between the two of us, a great success as it was her first time fishing.

On my final day Mark, Wes and I headed back to the farm. Unfortunately due to the holidays there wasn’t enough time to get the sheep ready for shearing. Mark made up for it though and gave me a full tour of the farm. First he emptied the trough, and then Wes and I hopped out of the cab of the truck to herd 340 lambs from one paddock to the other. We simply walked along through the fields, both casually and slowly, and those fools just kept running away…right where we wanted them to go. My deed was done.

Emptying the trough

Rockeby Farm

Lamb butts

Wes herding lambs

That evening we BBQ’d the most exquisite, uhum, lamb for dinner then ended in the late hours laughing till I cried playing the vulgar game Cards Against Humanity the Australian edition with the family.

Thank you Wes, Sue, Mark, Lewis, Karl and Hannah for your amazing hospitality, beautiful homes and an amazing holiday adventure!

These Two Eyes!

Welcome to These Two Eyes! Follow along for travel, food and experience recommendations across the world!

Beach

Talofa Beautiful Samoa

Adventuring the Great Ocean Road

Christmas in South Australia

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: