Sok Kwu Wan - Mo Tat Wan
Lamma Island
Lamma Island (also known as Pok Liu Chau or Pok Liu) is the third largest Island in Hong Kong. It is one of the only places in Hong Kong that has no skyscrapers or tall buildings. Many tourists love going here for sight seeing because of the beautiful beaches and mountain landscapes. The different areas of Lamma can be very different. Many tourists go to the West side of Lamma near the power station, but do you really want something horrible like that blocking your view. On our trip we went on the opposite island (East Side). Not many people know of this route but they have stunning views.
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History
Lamma is called Lamma because Alexander Dalyrmply read a chart wrong in 1760. He had a Portuguese chart for the entries to the pearl river. The Portuguese owner had written Lama and Alexander thought that was the name. It wasn't. It was a Portuguese notation. The first archaeological findings of human settlements were found in the northern and eastern parts of Lamma in 4000-3000 BC. Lammas earliest village is Yung Shue Ha. Yung Shue Ha was settled in early 19th century as a clan from China. In 1938 HK’s international airport was likely to be out on the North Island. Electricity wasn't brought to the island till 1962, 83 years after electricity was invented! It was brought to the Island by submarine cable. The Lamma power station was opened in 1982.
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Lamma is well known for its fish farms which first came to be in 1982. Law Bak Fuk built his first fish catching sea cages with blue plastic buckets and planks of wood. It now has 500 cages! In 1972 Shell company oil company applied to build an oil refinery on the island but it never ended up happening. The quarry opposite So Kwu Wan was made in 1978 for rock extraction. However, all quarry options were closed in 2002. In 1898 Lamma Island became under British Colonial rule as part of the new territories.
Things to Do and SeeAs you can see on the map on the left, the power station will not be in sight in your hike. I feel this is a better way to escape from the man made things, like everything else in Hong Kong. Though the path is made of concrete, you feel like you’re in the wild. The yellow highlighted part of the zoomed in picture is the route we took. You have to go through the restaurants at Sok Kwu Wan, and when you come out you will see a temple. Past the temple there are some staircases - that is where your journey begins. If you want, to the right of the temple is a little turtle pond which can be fun to look at if you have kids with you. You can take a detour once you get to the Mo Tat public toilets. If you turn right you can carry on the defined concrete path towards Shek Pai Wan beach.
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This beach is quite remote and away from civilisation. It's not very well known but it’s definitely worth it (You can find out more about Yung Shue Ha and its history in the history section). It may look like a long walk to get there but it’s a very easy route, since there aren’t many hills and it’s easy to access. The main walk up the mountain has many stairs and up and downhills. This is not a good idea for anyone with disabilities.
Activities and ChallengesSCAVENGER HUNT
Materials: A bag While you're on your walk keep an eye out for rubbish. Bring a bag with you to collect the rubbish. Collect all the rubbish you can see then when you are at the end of your walk whoever has the most rubbish wins! Don't forget to recycle it! +You can make a piece of art out of the rubbish and compare each others/teams pieces before you recycle it! STORY TIME
Materials: None! While you're on your hike keep your eye out for interesting animals. When you find one give it a name and think of the most interesting backstory you can think of. Whoever has the most creative wins! + You can even act it out if you want to be more entertaining! FLOWER FUN
Materials: Something to hold your flowers You and your friends or siblings have to look around your area (if on a walk you can look throughout the walk) and find the prettiest flower. The aim is to find the most colourful and interesting flower. Show an adult your flower and they can compare it to your siblings/friends. Once everyone has shown their flower to a parent they decide who had the most beautiful flower. Then whoever lost has to do a silly dance! |
Island Butterflies
Because of the little population and vast amount of nature on Lamma, butterflies can be found everywhere! These are a few ones commonly found.
Fun Fact: Butterfly's are often basking in the sun with their wings open to gain heat and then the veins in the wings carry the heat to the body.
Fun Fact: Butterfly's are often basking in the sun with their wings open to gain heat and then the veins in the wings carry the heat to the body.
Red Lacewing
The Red Lacewing Butterflies adult average life span is from a week to a year. A Red Lacewing Butterfly is cold-blooded, which means the body temperature is not regulated on its own. A Red Lacewing Butterfly can't fly or eat if their body temperature is below 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 celcius). |
Red-base Jezebel
The red based Jezebel is a very common butterfly. It is mostly found in the wetland park but is also commonly found on Lamma Island. Black, White, Yellow and Red are splattered over their wings. You are easily able to spot them as they fly slowly. |
Great Mormon
The great Mormon, also known as papilio memnon is a common large butterfly from the swallowtail family. It found in northern india and southern china. The butterfly has a wingspan of 120-150 centimetres. It usually flies 2-4 metres of the ground |
How to get There
To get there the easiest way is to take the ferry from Pier 4 to Sok Kwu Wan. Then you can follow the details from the 'About the Route' section to find your way around the island and the trails we went on. You can either take the 30 minute Family walk from Mo Tat Wan back to Sok Kwu Wan and take the ferry from there back to central OR, you can take the Kaito ferry from Mo Tat Wan to Aberdeen. You can then walk through the park to the bus station where you can take a bus back home. The time tables for these ferry's are to the right and below (Yellow-Mo Tat Wan to Aberdeen Kaito, Blue- Central to Sok Kwu Wan) .
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Equipment
HAZARD |
RISKS |
CONTROL MEASURE |
EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN |
Tripping on stairs |
Fall and hurt yourself |
Always watch your step and always wear the correct shoes and if in a group then walk in a straight line. |
Call for help if a kid falls and if there parent is near then call them over. |
Wild dogs |
Get bitten by dogs |
Try to avoid making any eye contact with them. |
Call the ambulance immediately. |
Lack of drinking water |
Dehydration and heat exhaustion |
Always bring 2 liters of water. |
If people that you know are around you could ask if they have water and if they have a hat you could for it. |
Written by Louise, Sara, Meher & Holly | Students Of Island School, Hong Kong