Asau, Samoa
Encyclopedia
Asau is situated on the north west coast of Savai'i
island in Samoa
. It is the capital village of the Vaisigano
political district and serves as the main business centre at the west end of the island.
Asau was the centre of the timber industry in Samoa with logging of native forests. In the 1960s a new wharf was completed at Asau for the lumbering operations of an American company Potlatch Corporation. The mouth of Asau Harbour was blocked by a coral reef and both the Samoan government and consultants had difficulties in clearing away the coral. A government dredge sank while trying to remove the coral. Later, New Zealand bombs dropped on the reef did not solve the problem. Villagers claimed aitu
did not want the harbour cleared. The large sawmill operating in Asau has since closed. The harbour is seldom used now.
The Asau Airport
is an airstrip primarily used for chartered flights. In 2008, an American development company, South Pacific Development, based in Honolulu, made plans to expand Asau Airport and harbour. The company has obtained a 120-year lease for 600 acres (2.4 km²) of prime oceanfront customary land in Sasina
village, to build a luxury resort estimated to cost $450 – $500 million US dollars.
The breakwater protecting the bay is an old American airstrip from World War II.
The port was well used in the past as it was well protected on the east and south by the main land and on the north and west by coral reefs.
In September 2008, bushfires inland from Asau and Aopo
village destroyed more than two thousand acres (8 km²).
Savai'i
Savaii is the largest and highest island in Samoa and the Samoa Islands chain. It is also the biggest landmass in Polynesia outside Hawaii and New Zealand. The island of Savai'i is also referred to by Samoans as Salafai, a classical Samoan term used in oratory and prose...
island in Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
. It is the capital village of the Vaisigano
Vaisigano
Vaisigano is a political district at the western tip of Savai'i island in Samoa. The capital of the district is Asau.This area is also referred to as 'Itu Asau' in the Samoan language.The population of Vaisigano is 6,643 ....
political district and serves as the main business centre at the west end of the island.
Asau was the centre of the timber industry in Samoa with logging of native forests. In the 1960s a new wharf was completed at Asau for the lumbering operations of an American company Potlatch Corporation. The mouth of Asau Harbour was blocked by a coral reef and both the Samoan government and consultants had difficulties in clearing away the coral. A government dredge sank while trying to remove the coral. Later, New Zealand bombs dropped on the reef did not solve the problem. Villagers claimed aitu
Aitu
In Polynesian languages the word aitu refers to ghosts or spirits, often malevolent. The word is common to many languages of Western and Eastern Polynesia. In the mythology of Tonga, for example, aitu or eitu are lesser gods, many being patrons of specific villages and families. They often take...
did not want the harbour cleared. The large sawmill operating in Asau has since closed. The harbour is seldom used now.
The Asau Airport
Asau Airport
Asau Airport is a small domestic airfield located in the thick dense jungle at the northwest end of Savai'i in Samoa. The airport is in the village of Asau and mainly services chartered flights.This airport is open daily for 12 hours a day...
is an airstrip primarily used for chartered flights. In 2008, an American development company, South Pacific Development, based in Honolulu, made plans to expand Asau Airport and harbour. The company has obtained a 120-year lease for 600 acres (2.4 km²) of prime oceanfront customary land in Sasina
Sasina
Sasina is a village on the north coast of Savai'i island in Samoa. It is located in the political district of Gagaifomauga. The population is 550 .The village is part of a conservation area which includes the village of Aopo...
village, to build a luxury resort estimated to cost $450 – $500 million US dollars.
The breakwater protecting the bay is an old American airstrip from World War II.
The port was well used in the past as it was well protected on the east and south by the main land and on the north and west by coral reefs.
In September 2008, bushfires inland from Asau and Aopo
Aopo
Aopo is a village on the island of Savai'i in Samoa. It is in the political district of Gaga'ifomauga.The village is located inland from the north coast of Savai'i, close to the main lava field from the island's volcanic cones....
village destroyed more than two thousand acres (8 km²).