Some hikes can take you somewhere that feels different, somewhere where the landscape, culture, history, and environment all come together. Our 16th Vaea Footprints hiking adventure for 2026 was exactly that kind of experience as we made our way into the Magiagi rainforest to discover the mysterious and culturally significant Fale o le Fe’e.
Fale o le Fe’e had been one of the trails we had been eyeing since the beginning of the year. What made it particularly interesting to us was not only its deep history and cultural significance to the village of Magiagi but also its importance from a conservation perspective. The site is located within the Magiagi Rainforest Conservation Area, an area maintained and looked after by the village, with support from the Samoa Conservation Society. A village ranger is also responsible for looking after the conservation area, and it was the ranger himself, Mr. Tafilipepe Masaga, who would eventually take us deep into the forest to the mysterious Fale o le Fe’e monument.
Before we could even think about putting on our hiking shoes, there were a few important things we needed to do. We first contacted the ranger to find out when he was available and when his availability would align with our group. More importantly, we needed to seek permission from the Pulega Ali’i ma Faipule through the Pulenu’u before entering the village lands. For us, this is an important part of any hike that takes us onto village or culturally significant land. We want to make sure we have the approval and blessings of the village before we walk through their premises and that we do so respectfully.
Thankfully, the Pulenu’u was very kind and accepted our request during our first phone call. We explained that we were a group of local hikers who regularly walk the Mount Vaea trail as part of our exercise and training, and that we were interested in making the journey to Fale o le Fe’e. This particular trip was also a partnership between Vaea Footprints and the Samoa Conservation Society as an environmental walk to one of Samoa’s cultural sites hidden deep within the Magiagi forest. We were extremely grateful for the support, advice and guidance from the Pulenu’u, who wished us well ahead of the adventure.
The village protocols were also made very clear to us. We were reminded that we were entering sacred lands, so we needed to avoid making unnecessary noise and, importantly, we needed to start early before the sun became too strong on the way to the monument. We listened, we respected the advice, and we followed the protocols. With the green light from the village and a positive response from the Samoa Conservation Society team, everything was ready for the adventure.
So, on the morning of Saturday, 29 August, the alarm clocks went off very early.
Our meeting point was the Mount Vaea car park, a familiar location for many of our hikers and a convenient place for everyone to gather before driving together towards Magiagi. A few people arrived just before 5:00am, and by 5:00am the car park was slowly filling up. There were plenty of familiar faces, along with a few new hikers joining us for the first time. We had a good mixture of locals, expats and overseas Samoans, and we later discovered that a couple of the guys had driven all the way from A’ana at around 3:30am just to make the hike. They actually live in western Sydney and were only in Samoa for a few days, so their effort to get up that early and join us was something we really appreciated.
At 5:30am, our President called everyone together for the pre-hike briefing. We welcomed and officially greeted everyone, went over the essentials for the day and reminded everyone that safety remains our top priority on every Vaea Footprints adventure. A few members had unfortunately cancelled at the last minute because of other urgent commitments, but we already had a good number of hikers ready to go. The show must go on.
After the briefing, the cameras came out for our traditional before-photo. Looking around at the group, the energy level was easily over 100 percent. Everyone looked ready, motivated and eager to get moving. We made one final call to our ranger, Mr. Tafilipepe, just to make sure he was awake and ready to meet us. As it turned out, he had already been up since 5:00am and was waiting for us.
We quickly jumped into our vehicles and left the Mount Vaea car park. We were running against time because everyone was hoping to catch the sunrise. From the weather side of things, we had been monitoring the forecast throughout the week and were expecting another fine day. A high-pressure system to the south had been directing moderate to fresh southeasterly trade winds over Samoa, but because Magiagi is situated on the leeward side of the Tuasivi-o-Upolu, we were expecting lighter to moderate winds around the area. The weather certainly did not disappoint. Low-level clouds were hanging around in the morning, but they cleared quite quickly as the sun began to rise.
We drove through Magiagi village and continued inland to pick up our guide, Mr. Tafilipepe, who was accompanied by his relative Fa’auiga. Fa’auiga came prepared with his trusty machete, although we were told that the trail was generally clear and wide enough for 4WD vehicles because the access road reaches fairly close to the monument. Still, with recent windy conditions in the conservation area, you never really know when a fallen tree might decide to block your way, so the machete was coming along just in case.
The conservation area itself is tucked between a number of mountain peaks, which is fitting given the name Vaimauga. The streams running through the valleys towards the west contribute to the Alaoa catchment, which is upstream of the Vaisigano River. As we continued inland, we noticed something else that caught our attention. The grass and vegetation around Magiagi were still looking remarkably green compared with other parts of the country.
This was particularly interesting from an environmental and climate perspective. While much of the northwestern parts of the islands have experienced meteorological drought during the dry season associated with the current El Niño event, Magiagi did not appear to have experienced the same level of impact yet. The grass was still in reasonable condition, the trees remained green and even the cattle we saw along the way appeared to be doing well with the available pasture. There can be a lag between meteorological drought and its impacts on vegetation, soil moisture and hydrological conditions, and Magiagi’s elevated location within Vaimauga may mean that there is still enough moisture in the soil to keep the vegetation going a little longer.
After another ten minutes or so, we arrived at the EPC hydroelectric power station. We parked where our guide had instructed us and, almost perfectly timed, we arrived just as the sunrise began to put on a beautiful display. We took an extra five minutes simply to enjoy the view and breathe in the fresh Magiagi morning air. Phones and cameras came out, and everyone captured their own little piece of the sunrise. We were also blessed with the sounds of birds waking up around us, the kind of morning experience that those still sleeping at home would never know they were missing.
From the EPC station, we started walking along the road. At first, it was nice and cruisy, with enough space for large 4WD vehicles to travel through comfortably. But after roughly 500 metres, our guides took a right turn into the forest, and that was when the real adventure began.
Suddenly, we were completely immersed in the lowland rainforest of Magiagi. Interestingly, the trail started taking us downhill. Then further downhill. Then even further downhill. Everyone was probably wondering when the difficult part was going to start because we had expected to begin with a steep climb. Instead, we were basically cruising our way deeper into the valley, following every bend in the trail as it descended metre by metre.
The group stayed together, and because of the village protocols, we kept our conversations fairly quiet. There was certainly no heavy puffing or struggling at this stage. In fact, everyone looked very comfortable. But we all knew one thing: whatever goes down must eventually come back up. We were going to have to return along the same trail, and that final climb back to the vehicles was already waiting for us somewhere in the future.
We eventually reached the flatter section of the valley and were greeted by large metal pipes running through the area. These are believed to have been constructed during the German administration and connect back towards the EPC station. We followed the pipes along the rough 4WD road, surrounded by what seemed like endless greenery. The grass was wet, most likely from the morning mist and moisture from the low cloud, although it may also have been influenced by a light drizzle from stratocumulus passing through the area the night before.
The sounds of the forest were just as impressive as the scenery. Birds were chirping around us, we heard the distinctive sound of the Ma’oma’o, which seemed to be only about ten metres away, and pigeons flew high above the forest. We didn’t manage to spot a Manumea, but even hearing some of Samoa’s endemic birds was a special part of the experience.
This is one of the reasons our hikes have become more than just exercise for us. Whenever we enter these environments, we have an opportunity to make observations and learn more about Samoa’s natural environment. And if we’re lucky enough to come across something rare like a Manumea, then that’s a bonus, or, as we like to call it, the jackpot.
Along the way, we also noticed a particular arrangement of trees that looked like sandalwood. However, for our untrained eyes, we couldn’t confidently identify whether it was asi vai or asi toa, and we knew it definitely wasn’t asi manogi. We continued through the forest, where we observed Aoa, Mamalava, Tava and Maota among the more common trees. Every part of the walk seemed to reveal something new.
The three small streams we passed were also interesting. Despite the greenery around us, the smaller streams were completely dry, with the rocks at the bottom exposed. They appeared to be unpassable by vehicles in some places, but the conditions were excellent for hiking. Eventually, we followed the metal pipe towards the main river and came across the signboard marking the Magiagi Rainforest Conservation Area.
We stopped for a moment to read the sign and take in our surroundings. The river was flowing moderately, which was expected given that there hadn’t been any significant rainfall in recent days. Fortunately, we didn’t need to cross it. The Fale o le Fe’e site was only about 200 metres away, and we followed the riverbank on the left-hand side.
The trail was still clearly visible, although some vegetation had started to grow over parts of the path. This was where Fa’auiga’s machete came in handy as he carefully cleared some of the overgrown vegetation to make the path easier for everyone to pass.
And then, at exactly 7:30am, about an hour and a half after leaving the EPC station, we arrived.
There we were, standing in the area of the historical Fale o le Fe’e monument.
The site consists of the remains of an ancient megalithic monument made from large columnar basalt rocks, forming an almost circular structure. According to our ranger and guide, this unusual structure is believed to have been the distinctive and mysterious “house of the octopus.”
Grass and vegetation had grown over parts of the monument, which also gave us another indication that the area still had reasonable soil moisture. The grass can grow quickly in these conditions, but thankfully, conservation practices mean there is no need to worry about paraquat or similar chemicals being used here. Herbicides are completely banned and prohibited within the area.
Separated from the main structure was what is believed to have been an outdoor kitchen, or tunoa. Right next to it was another fascinating feature that looked like a coconut scraper carved from the basalt rock. Perhaps one of the most intriguing things about the monument was the basalt itself. Some of the columns appeared almost as though they had been cut by hand, leaving us wondering how people in ancient times created and arranged these enormous rocks.
The area was remarkably clean. There was no rubbish around the monument, and the main structure remained relatively clear and exposed. We observed trees including Aoa, Tamaligi and Atone, another tree that was new to some of us. Its leaves could easily be mistaken for those of a lychee tree, adding yet another layer to what we were discovering within the Magiagi Rainforest Conservation Area.
But the rocks and trees were only part of the story.
The signboard at the monument tells us that its history is still shrouded in mystery, but according to local accounts, this was believed to be the place where the ancient war God of A’ana, the God of Fe’e, lived and was worshipped by local people.
Standing there, surrounded by rainforest, ancient basalt columns and the sounds of the forest, it was easy to appreciate just how rich this place is in both history and mythology. You don’t necessarily need all the answers for a place to leave an impression on you. Sometimes, the mystery is what makes it even more fascinating.
We spent around 20 minutes at the site, chatting with one another, enjoying some snacks and asking our guide questions about the area. Naturally, we also took plenty of group photos to remember the occasion. Before leaving, we made sure to follow one of our most important hiking principles: leave the place as you found it. Every piece of rubbish we brought in came back out with us.
We also heard about waterfalls located further beyond the monument, as well as a peak overlooking Si’umu. Those places have now been added to the list, but we’ll leave those adventures for another day.
By around 8:10am, it was time to head back.
Our shoes were wet by then, but not because it had rained on us. The moisture from the grass and morning dew had done the job perfectly. We retraced our steps through the same rocky trail, passing through the lowland forest and making our way back towards the EPC station.
And then came the part we had all been waiting for, the climb.
The ascent was certainly not for the weak, but by then we had become more familiar with the trail. We knew what was coming, we knew we were getting closer, and the mindset of knowing the hike was nearly complete gave everyone that extra push. As a group, we muscled our way up the slope like the champions we are.
We finally reached our vehicles at around 9:00am.
Looking back, the entire hike took approximately three hours, covered roughly seven kilometres and amounted to around 9,000 steps. Compared with some of our previous adventures, it wasn’t particularly difficult in terms of distance or steepness. But what made it special wasn’t the number of kilometres we walked. It was everything we encountered along the way.
We came for the exercise, but we also walked away with a greater appreciation for the environment, conservation, cultural heritage and history of this part of Samoa. We had the opportunity to walk through sacred lands, listen to the stories connected to an ancient monument, observe the condition of the rainforest, hear endemic birds and experience a part of Magiagi that many people may never get the chance to see.
Most importantly, we were reminded once again why we started Vaea Footprints in the first place.
We are a group of people who hike Mount Vaea for exercise and training, but every adventure continues to show us that there is so much more waiting beyond the familiar trail. Hiking gives us the opportunity to explore Samoa, learn about our heritage, connect with communities, appreciate our natural environment and challenge ourselves physically, all while sharing the experience with good people.
For this adventure, we are incredibly grateful to the village of Magiagi for granting us permission to walk through their sacred lands and for the trust, guidance and support shown to our group. A special fa’afetai tele lava goes to our guides, Mr. Tafilipepe Masaga and his cousin Fa’auiga, for leading us into the forest, sharing their knowledge and making sure we reached Fale o le Fe’e safely.
And to all our fellow hikers, thank you for showing up. Whether you are one of our regulars, someone who joined us for the first time, travelled a long way to be there, or simply decided to get out of bed before sunrise and try something different, you are part of what makes these adventures special.
This was Vaea Footprints Hiking Adventure #16 for 2026, and we are already looking forward to the next one.
Our next challenge is a much bigger one.
Until then, keep moving, keep exploring, respect the land, and never underestimate what you might discover when you are willing to take the first step.
Walking Our Heritage, Together.
Peace.
Vaea Footprints
