Vailima, Samoa

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Vailima is the name of a village about four kilometers south of Apia, the capital of Samoa. The village is most known as the location of the last residence of Robert Louis Stevenson, named 'Villa Vailima'. The estate has had a varied past with it functioning further as the residence for the governor of German Samoa, the administrator of the New Zealand mandatory authority and the Samoan head of state. It is now a museum in honour of Stevenson and has been substantially restored.

The name Vailima means "water in the hand", according to an old Samoan tale. A woman gave some water (vai) in her hand (lima) to help her thirsty companion. A widely quoted misinterpretation states that the name means "five waters", as the word lima also means 'hand' in Samoan.^[1]

'Vailima is also the name of the beer of the only Samoan brewery and is one of the more popular beer brands available in Samoa.

Stevenson was buried in a tomb on the neighboring Mt Vaea. He had two wishes for his burial, to be buried on the top of Mt Vaea and to be buried with his boots on as he used those boots to walk on the Samoan lands.

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Coordinates: 13°51.59′S 171°45.56′W / 13.85983°S 171.75933°W / -13.85983; -171.75933