“ Einhundert Jahre Australienfahrt 1886- 1986 ,” Otto J . Seiler , Hapag-Lloyd
Spemann Family Collection , restored T . Brunt 2014
This sketch from German archives is the earliest known depiction of the Vailele plantings , which were mainly in coconuts for the production of copra . This view appears to be of the flat land at the coastal fringe of Vailele which was known as Suga . Most of the plantation was on sloping contours .
This image is the earliest known photo from the Vailele plantation and is held by the Spemann family , of Auckland . The word Vailele and the year 1881 ( as well as other indecipherable German words ) are included in an inscription on the back of the photo possibly made by Spemann forbear , Adolf Axmann , who worked for Godeffroys and is the man on the left of the picture . The photo is badly faded in the original and has required digital enhancement to improve its legibility . The man in the middle holds a whip which was doubtless used in the driving of bullock carts for the collection of coconuts .
| To Walk Under Palm Trees - The Germans in Samoa : Snapshots from Albums | Tony Brunt
118