Aunu'u

Aunu'u is a small volcanic island off the eastern end of Tutuila, ten minutes across the channel by longboat from Au'asi. It has one village, no cars to speak of and a set of oddities on a walk of two hours. Pala Lake is a bed of red quicksand, Ma'ama'a Cove is a crater bowl where the surf pours in, and Faimulivai marsh fills the main crater with water and birds. Taro is grown in wet pits behind the village. Landing depends on the channel, which is rough when the trade wind blows hard, so the crossing is sometimes called off.