Mulifanua is a village on the north-western tip of the island of Upolu, in

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. In the modern era, it is the capital of

Aiga-i-le-Tai Aiga-i-le-Tai is a district of Samoa which includes the small islands of Manono, Apolima and tiny uninhabited Nu'ulopa lying in the Apolima Strait between the country's two main islands of Upolu and Savai'i. The district includes part of the ma ...

district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...

. Mulifanua wharf is the main ferry terminal for inter-island vehicle and passenger travel across the

Apolima Strait The Apolima Strait is about 13 km wide and separates the two largest islands of Samoa: Savai'i to the northwest, and Upolu to the southeast. Three small islands lie in the strait. Two of them, Manono and Apolima, have small village settl ...

between Upolu and the island of Savai'i.

Ferry terminal

The ferry terminal at Mulifanua wharf is five minutes west of

Faleolo International Airport Faleolo International Airport is an airport located west of Apia, the capital of Samoa. Until 1984, Faleolo could not accommodate jets larger than a Boeing 737. Services to the United States, Australia, or New Zealand, could only land at Pago ...

. The government's Samoa Shipping Corporation operates the ferry service, seven days a week, between Mulifanua and

Salelologa Salelologa is a village district at the east end of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is the main entry point into the island with the only ferry terminal on Savai'i. It also serves as the main township for shopping and public amenities with a market s ...

at the east end of Savai'i island. A one-way trip between the two islands takes about 90 minutes. The ferry usually runs every two hours during the day. There are several small shops selling snacks, and there are always buses and taxis available at the terminal for departures and arrivals.

Archaeology

In 1973,

archaeology in Samoa Archaeology of Samoa began with the first systematic survey of archaeological remains on Savai'i island by Jack Golson in 1957.Lapita site at Mulifanua where 4,288 pottery sherds and two Lapita type adzes have been recovered. The site has a true age of circa 3,000 BP based on C14 dating on a shell. This is the only site in Samoa where decorated Lapita sherds have been found, although pieces of Polynesian plainware ceramics are commonly found throughout the Samoan islands.Temper sands in prehistoric Oceanian pottery: geotectonics, sedimentology, petrography, provenance
by William R. Dickinson, p.34.Retrieved 2 November 2009 The submerged site was discovered during work carried out to expand the inter-island ferry berth at Mulifanua.

2007 South Pacific Games

'' Aggie Grey’s Resort and Spa'' at Mulifanua and Faleolo was the venue for the

sailing Sailing employs the wind—acting on sails, wingsails or kites—to propel a craft on the surface of the ''water'' (sailing ship, sailboat, raft, windsurfer, or kitesurfer), on ''ice'' (iceboat) or on ''land'' (land yacht) over a chosen cou ...

and va'a (outrigger canoeing) events at the

2007 South Pacific Games The 2007 South Pacific Games were held in Apia, Samoa, from 25 August to 8 September 2007. The Games were the thirteenth to be held since the inception of the South Pacific Games in 1963, and included traditional multi-sport event disciplines, s ...

References

External links

Mulifanua
at the official site to the 2007 Pacific Games Populated places in Aiga-i-le-Tai Underwater ruins Archaeological sites in Samoa Populated places established in the 10th century BC {{Oceania-sports-venue-stub