56 The N.Z. Journal of Science and Technology. [April 
fissures on the crater of 1902 in addition to the main east-west fissure, 
and some older north-south fissures to the west of Toiavea. 
As in the case of Kilauea and Mauna Loa in Hawaii, the younger lava- 
fields of Savaii, though bush-covered, have no surface streams except in 
flood-time. The readiness with which the pahoelioe type of lava cracks 
vertically permits rain-water to percolate freely, and there ordinarily is 
no run-off. Certain dry watercourses are found, which are termed by 
the Samoans alia , of which the largest is Alia Sega, on the north-east side 
of the island. Friedlander describes them as follows : “ While on the 
banks of the alia a quite thin stratum of decomposed rock gives enough 
food for a high forest, in the bed itself the fresh surface of the basalt lava 
is laid open, and the cake formations are exposed. As the lava contains 
many holes and fissures, only a little water is to be seen for long stretches, 
with the exception of rare waterholes, but immediately after heavy rainfall 
some of the alia become torrents. This is proved by masses of boulders 
found on the flatter stretches. Here and there the alia have been used as 
beds by new lava-streams, and sometimes one finds in the deeper-cut 
channels sections showing old river-boulders below fresh lava. The alia 
form relatively comfortable roads in the primeval forest, because they 
can be used without felling any trees. But, unfortunately, their course is 
often winding, some suddenly end in crevasses where the water runs 
underground, and here and there they suddenly stop on steep cliffs where 
good structures of basaltic columns can be seen, but not always easily 
climbed over.” 
The older volcanic ground is more deeply weathered, and watercourses 
of ordinary type— i.e., mostly young mountain-torrents with a bed of 
rounded basalt boulders—are well developed. The soil is generally red, 
and at times fairly deep, but is never free from basalt boulders, the 
unw T eathered residuals of the blocks into which the lavas are divided by 
joint-planes, and there is no extensive area of ploughable land, either in 
Savaii or Upolu. There are in Savaii only a few inland villages, all on 
such land, and the majority of the villages lie on coastal plains of coral 
sand. Except to the inland villages, roads or tracks to the interior are 
rare. R. Williams made a crossing of the island in 1907 from Matautu, 
on the north coast, to Tufu, on the south, his route crossing the Tuasivi (or 
backbone) ridge to the east of the highest point. Friedlander later made 
his way along the Tuasivi from the western to the eastern end. 
The western part of the Tuasivi chain from near Falealupo to Mauga 
Afi contains, according to Friedlander, many w 7 ell-preserved volcanic cones 
of slags and cinders, and both these and the black basalt lava on the coast 
are covered with a poor vegetation. The poverty of the vegetation may 
be ascribed partly to the relative dryness of this part of the island, but 
is certainly also an index of the youth of the volcanic formations. 
The central part of the Tuasivi, to the south-east of Mauga Afi, is 
never visited by the natives, owing to the lack of water and the difficulty 
of the country. Friedlander marched about 6 \ km. in a day of eight 
hours (excluding rests). The cones are composed of cinder and do not 
hold water, and they are separated by old lava-fields, the surfaces of 
which are very uneven, despite the dense primeval forest. Views of even 
the small cones cannot be obtained without felling trees. The highest 
summit was ascended by Friedlander, and named Mauga Hertha, and has an 
altitude of 1,858 metres (6,096 ft.). The view from here showed numerous 
small cones, 30 m. to 100 in. high, and very generally horseshoe-shaped. 
