Leaves, Petals and Lava

The Virgins Grave

In the Saleaula Lava Fields there is a spot known as the Virgin's Grave. Basically a hole in the lava that now has plants filling the chasm. Legend has it that the village taupou - which literally translates to the high chief's daughter who is a virgin - died of tuberculosis as a teenager. The name in the legend is due to the idea that she was so pure that the lava flowed around her grave, without touching it.

P.S. this is pretty much the last of the color film I shot so don't get used to seeing color on my blog.

New Growth

The Fires of Hell Win This Round

The Saleaula Lava Fields are from an eruption of Mt Matavanu on the island of Savai'i from 1905 to 1911. It was a slow moving lava flow that destroyed the village of Saleaula. Here are the ruins of a church where the lava entered through the windows and stopped when it got to the other side. The church was fully destroyed other than the huge stone walls used in construction.