Expedition to Swains Atoll

Finally made it to Swains Atoll.   Swains Atoll is 360km north of Tutuila, about an 18hr boat ride.  Although it is part of American Samoa, it is actually part of the chain of islands belonging to Tokelau.  The Lady Naomi dropped us off on the island and came back to pick us up 6 days later.  

Swains is privately owned by the Jennings family but is also governed by the government of American Samoa.  The island was purchased by the Jennings family in 1856.  Most of the island was planted with coconuts for copra production.  The plantation has remained unmanaged for many years and no one is currently living on the island because of the difficulty in getting supplies to the island on regular basis.  Beautiful island but unfortunately I wasn't there for a vacation.  I had to walk all over the island for a mapping project.  Great fun busting ass on coconuts, peeling spider webs off my face, sweating, and being eaten alive by mosquitos.  Some photos of the trip....

Satellite image of Swains Atoll, showing the fringing reef flat 

and central lagoon along with my GPS tracks

Our transport to the island, the Lady Naomi

Arriving at the island

Our transport from the Lady Naomi to the island

Unloading equipment.  Everything had to be brought to the 

island on the small skiffs and then carried across the reef flat

The field camp

Photos of the lagoon in the middle of the island:

Graves and house of the Jennings family.  Eli Jennings and 

family originally settled on the island in 1856. 

around the island 

Never used to be scared of coconuts, until I came to this island. 

Every now and then you hear the beautiful sound 

of a coconut falling and smacking into the ground

Pandanus forest

Coconut crab

Thankful to be walking on the beach

Members of the Jennings family cleaning fish for dinner

Loading up for the return trip to Tutuila

Yes! your eyes are not deceiving you, that is an ATV 

with a person on it, floating on a homemade raft, 

and being pulled by a skiff to the Lady Naomi

Samoan ingenuity at it's best,  watch the 

video of the loading of the ATV, Samoan style

Departing the island

THE END

Wedding in Paradise

Since we made the move to Samoa we have experienced a lot of difficult emotions but somehow we managed to stick together as a family and made it through to the other side.   One thing I have learned is that you never know what life will bring or take away from one day to the next.   Lucky for us life brought us a little angel named Hariett Mabanta.  We ran off to Samoa to get married at Taufua resort in Lalumanu, Samoa last March.  The wedding was done in a rush but luckily the resort did a great job making arrangements and some of our friends were able to share the day with us, despite being unsure of actual wedding date!  Some photos of the wedding.  Thanks to Frank and Tracy, and Ben and Sarah for taking such nice photos for us.

Wedding location - Taufua Resort in Lalumanu, Samoa

 

 

 

Having some beach fun at the resort before the wedding, our little fale (house) on the beach.

 

Juliana photographer credit

 

 

 

 

My ladies

 

 

Weddiing gear

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Juliana and Ava

 

Resort restaurant

Getting hair done before the wedding

 

Growing up

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Greta, Frankie's friend from Germany that she met at the resort

 

Bride and flower girls

 

The wedding arch - future photographers

 

 

Resort staff spent half the day putting together this wonderful arch on the beach

 

Wedding decorations

 

 

Our wedding guests - Ben and Sarah

Frank and Tracy

The ceremony on the beach 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The wedding party - yea thats everyone.

 

 

 

Starting over

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wedding dinner

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fia Fia night at the resort, lucky for us it happened on our wedding day

Hariett doing Samoan Taupo dance

 

 

Frank and Roger - Samoan warriors?

Fire dancing