2nd anticipated Book launch

 Looking forward to launching our 2nd book sometime in the next two weeks just finalising details with the book at the printers. The book is called "Mount Vaea and the tears of Apa'ula" or in Samoan "O le Mauga o Vaea ma Loimata o Apa'ula". Hopefully it will coincide with celebrating Samoan language week next week and although it is a somewhat sad story, there are some neat memories that I have when collecting this particular story which I will discuss around the launching.

 

If you visit Samoa or have visited Samoa, you might see a large mountain which is in the background when approaching Apia township, that particular mountain is called Mt Vaea located in the village of Vailima and some may know of this story although as I often say, this is only but one version of many versions of the origin of the name of this mountain.

 

The significance of this particular mountain is known around the world as the last resting place of the well known Scottish writer Robert Louis Stevenson as he was buried on the mountain in 1894. His literature is still taught around the world in many universities as a novelist, poet and travel writer etc. of his time.

 

When I first climbed it in 1989 as a part of my Masters thesis fieldwork, a group of us girls (at the time) climbed it off the beaten track and straight up the mountain which was quite scary at times as it often seemed like a vertical climb and just hanging on to vegetation roots to keep from falling down. There was a track that the boys took but someone had said that this might be a faster route and boy were they wrong. It took us much longer and we got to the top of the mountain looking like we'd been scrambling through mud as it had also rained whilst we climbed (ha ha).

 

I returned with my children in 2009 for my dad's birthday celebrations and for the Samoan 50th Jubilee of independence and took my children up the mountain track i.e. my 4 year old, my 6 year old and a cousin. It was hot and we hadn't taken any water but this time stayed on the track. It was neat to take them to see the grave of Robert Louis Stevenson at the near apex of the mountain.

 

I know that many Samoans have not climbed the mountain or see it as something to do but many tourists from overseas go to visit the site. Even in my /mihi (Maori language introduction) I often refer to Vaea as my mauga or mythical mountain as it has special significance to me as where my parents villages are there aren't even mountain ranges nearby and I have written a poem which will be in my first poetry collection to be published later in the year on climbing Mt Vaea.

 

So if you ever get the chance to visit Samoa and want to climb a mountain, you might want to consider giving mount Vaea a try...