Øyriket

When the ferry leaves from the Småge dock, Flatflesa lighthouse is among the first things you see towards the north. It was lit for the first time in 1902. Flesa literally means cut and alludes here to the flat rock protruding from the sea on which it stands. After Bjørnsund lighthouse, the navigation route along the coast south of Hustadvika splits into an outer and inner one. Ona lighthouse covers the outer sea route, towards the open sea. The Flatflesa lighthouse covers the inner route, sheltered by barrier islands. Here, a total of seven lighthouse keepers have lived and worked successively, together with their families. The last lighthouse keeper left in 1988, when the lighthouse was automated. The lighthouse keeper`s residence and the surrounding buildings have stood here for 117 years. After extensive restoration, the hotel chain Classic Norway now manages the buildings. You can book a stay in this idyllic coastal area to experience nature's dramatic settings in both stormy and calm weather.

The abandoned fishing village of Lyngværet was originally a smaller fishing village compared to Ona. From here, accessing deep sea fishing areas was easy. Early on at this site, there was a hotel and a village krambu, a small convenience store selling hardware and food. The owner eventually applied for a liquor license, hoping such diversification would coax the fishermen to trade exclusively with him. In 1916, ship pilot Nils Olsen Ona set up a large sea berth, with an adjacent lounge and store offering fishing supplies. Over time, the business decreased. The building was sold and dismantled. During the war years, it was confiscated by the German occupation force and moved to Røssøyvågen, where it stands today. Another building that used to stand next to the former complex above was a two-family dwelling built in 1916. The children in Lyngværet had to go to the island Orten to attend school. A former outhouse from Lyngværet was relocated to the fishing museum at Hjertøya outside Molde where it is now on exhibit.

At the islet Matløysa, if you strain your ears a bit, you may hear the legendary sound the waves make during a heavy sea. Some then say the islet is crying for food, which, according to a local historian, also explains the name of the islet - "no food". Another explanation is that there is not enough vegetation for livestock to graze here. It is located at Matlausdjupet, by an oceanic trench that intersects the islands Gossen and Orten in an easterly direction. The origins of the names Matløysa and Matlausdjupet have generated quite some speculation. One possible explanation is that they stem from a time when people came to the islet during the summer months and found themselves matlause, without food. There are, however, many fishing spots with large populations of coalfish, pollock, haddock, cod, redfish and other fish to this day. Hence the explanation that you not are being fed here is perhaps less likely.

Several discoveries have been made on the island of Orten dating back to ancient times. During peat spawning season, in the early 1900s, one of the farmers discovered what was probably an old hunting lodge. Study of the building materials showed almost 2000 years of time difference between the oldest and the youngest wooden layers, so the cottage must have been in use for a long time, perhaps by bird hunters. It is possible that there were two cabins built in the same place but in two different time periods. A 1000-year-old leather shoe was also found here. The name Orten probably originated in the word "Urptir", which in old Norwegian means nesting place for birds. Previously, the town was more densely populated. In the 1950s, about sixty people lived here. At the time of this writing, only ten people are on record as residents on the island. They subsist mainly on fishing and farming.

According to legend, a family lived here in the year 1800. The couple may have moved here either because the man was an outlaw or because they were engaged in an illicit love affair. They survived by hunting, fishing and on whatever the barren soil could provide as food. None of their dozen children survived. It is said that most fell victim to the sea, yet no one knew for sure. Some of the children may have fallen into a deep gorge along the middle of the islet. It didn't help that they tied the kids together with ropes. More than once, the parents literally found only the end piece of a rope left outside the house. Eventually – figuratively at the end of their rope - they gave up and left everything they had piled upon the Saltsteinen salt blocks. There were two minor digs on the islet yielding no significant discoveries. In addition, a local historian has searched through written sources dating back to 1520, without finding traces of the people at Saltsteinen. The legend, however, lives on.

Towards the north lies Galleskjæra, where the infamous Rokta shipwreck occurred during the night of April 3, 1938. The ship Rokta was built in 1918. As a freight vessel, on what turned out to be its last journey in 1938, it came from Alta and hit sea bottom when forced into shallow waters in a heavy snowstorm. A rescue attempt could only be initiated one and a half days later because of the weather conditions. Six of the crew of twelve could be rescued. Two of the rescuers perished during the rescue work. Altogether around 90 people participated in the rescue. The dangerous mission was covered in newspapers, on the radio in Norway and abroad. The entire country followed closely. Arnulf Øverland wrote the well-known poem "The Seamen from Hustadvika" about the shipwreck and the rescue operation. When the lifeboat Christian Bugge finally arrived at Kristiansund, the heroic crew was duly honoured in a ceremony.

Nowadays, the ferry arrives at the new Ålesund municipality. After the municipal reform, most of the islands in Sandøy municipality were incorporated in Ålesund, except Orten and Lyngværet, which still belong to Aukra municipality. Just over 150 years ago when Sandøy became its own municipality, the municipality's "father", Paul Knudsen Gaasø, traveled to Christiania in the summer of 1866, where he obtained the government's, and later also the king's approval that the islands could be governed separately from Aukra. Before the last municipal reform, most residents of the northernmost islands in Sandøy fought to be able to belong to Aukra instead of Ålesund. They lost this fight.

The three islands of Gåsøy, Finnøy and Sæterøy have a relatively short settlement history, and it is not known whether people lived on these islands in prehistoric times or not. Several graves as well as objects found on Gåsøya date from ancient times. We do know that around 1860 the islands were inhabited. Gåsøya and Sæterøya were depopulated in the 1970s and nowadays only feature vacation homes. In 1972 Finnøy constructed a bridge to connect with Harøy, the largest island in the municipality, which continues to make it a viable community to this day.

Finnøy is primarily known for its engine production, which began at the turn of the 19th century. Nils N. Finnøy built the first engine here in 1902. This was also the first engine produced in Norway to be used onboard fishing boats. The engine was held in high esteem among fishermen, and eventually more customers came, mostly from the growing fishing fleet. In 1918, the first Norwegian four-cylinder engine was produced. Finnøy was also the last Norwegian manufacturer of hot-spot engines. Engine production continued until 1975. The largest engine had 360hp. The factory still runs under the name Finnøy Gear & Propeller. Close to the ferry quay is Finnøy Havstuer, a hotel built around the old trading post on Finnøy. The municipal water park, Håp i havet, is located here.

Harøya is best known for its whale station, herring oil production and the manufacture of heavy equipment. The whale station at Harøy was built in 1924 and had its own fleet that fished all along the Norwegian coast. In 1927, a herring oil factory was added to the whale station which allowed for efficient use of the entire whale. Another local company then followed suit, adding a facility for producing heavy equipment to their herring oil factory. Haroya's manufacture of heavy equipment became the most important industry segment; Huse AS currently produces the world's largest winches and anchor handling equipment, mainly for the offshore industry. Rostein AS, one of the leading wellboat companies in the world, is also located here. The company has around 200 employees and, next to transporting smolt, operates fish hatcheries and provides other services like sorting and counting salmon and trout.

From Finnøy, the ferry continues past Sæterøya and Gåsøya. To the north you can see Håværet. On the oceanside, there is a deep cave in the rock wall. According to legends from the Viking Age a jotne or giant named Bruse lived here with his mother. She is described as an evil black sorceress, who could spew fire out of her nostrils like a dragon. Bruse tyrannized the area, killing those who approached Håværet. Among the victims were Asbjørn Prude, who was brutally tortured and then killed by Bruse. The crew of his ship was reportedly killed by the sorceress. Asbjørn's friend Orm Islender heard about this and immediately set off to avenge the murder. At Sandøy, he meets Bruse's part-human half sister Mengloð. In the legend, she gives him a pair of magic gloves that can remove the heavy stone slab Bruse used for blocking the cave opening. With magical gloves, the strength of his arms and God's help, Orm fights both the sorceress and Bruse. After Orm burns them both to ashes, he brings back two coffins full of gold and silver to the boat and the crew. The Bruse cave is located on a slope. Close by is a smaller cave. Maybe this is where the sorceress lived? Above the caves, you can often spot eagles gliding over their nests, twigs stuck in their ears.

The river Klenstraumen, as you will see, runs right through the middle of Håværet. A funny episode happened here during World War II. Three Norwegian torpedo motorboats were on a secret mission; one night they anchored by the cliff wall on the west side of the river. All three boats were then covered in fabric for camouflage. The quarter master and pilot Jakob Sandøy was on board one of the boats. He had not been home to Håværet after he five years earlier escaped the enemy with his fishing boat. Since then no one had heard from him. The next morning, a local fisherman came rowing by. He had the odd sensation that the landscape in Håværet had changed, the river had become much narrower than he remembered it. Carefully he made his approach to check out the situation when Jacob suddenly emerged from the camouflaged boat and made himself known. After this heart-warming surprise encounter, Jacob's two sisters and a cousin rowed out and the homecoming celebration continued. Jacob presented them with chocolate, coffee, canned peaches and other treats from England, and of course the best part was knowing that Jacob was alive. Just as the three torpedo boats were about to speed away, the sisters rowed out again, this time with Jacob's mother on board. She brought along a large pot of Rommegrot, the popular Norwegian sour cream porridge, delivering Jacob's favorite treat just in time before he left. The three boats were not able to attack the German convoy they were searching for. But they brought good memories back to England. And a little Rommegrot to go.

Sandøy has one of the oldest churches in the area; it celebrated its 200th anniversary in 2012. It is an octagonal wood structure and can accommodate 250 churchgoers. The altarpiece from 1818 was made by Tavle-Jacob, or "Altar Jacob". The prolific Norwegian visual artist and woodcarver Jacob Sorensen Giskegaard (1734-1827) from Giske in Sunnmøre created stunning church altars and is better known by his nickname. The interior is painted in pink hues by Ona's Jenny Husøy. Some of the furnishings, designed in 1708 with wood from the chapel on Ona were moved to the church from the old chapel when the latter was demolished. The new church at Sandøy then became the church for all the islands in Sandøy.

Out to the north we see Røssholmen, and the two small farms that have always been here - for as far back as anyone can remember. It is hard to say how many people have lived on the islet; a dozen or so people may have made the verdant islet their home, despite the rough weather conditions. Around 1760, both farms were abandoned, and the islet was then used as grazing land. A popular belief regarding the origin of the small island's name is that it comes from the Norwegian word for pebbles, which cover a part of the islet. On the other hand, historians and linguists think that the name was originally either Rudsholmen, the clearing-islet, or Rossholmen, and Hesteholmen, the horse islet. Røssholmen is, like many other islets around Ona, a nature reserve where all wildlife is protected.

To the west you now see the burial ground on Husøya and its popular beach. The island community consists of two islands connected by a bridge. Ona is the smaller of the islands, and until 1901 it was subject to strong regulations. Those who wanted to fish or even settle here had to submit to the owners' rules. In the latter half of the 19th century, fishermen who came from further in, mainly from Midsund, found that they could rent land from the two farmers at Husøya. There they could build fishermen's cabins and a boathouse and harbor their fishing boats. From about 1880 to 1935 there were two such communities on Husøya; in Lauvneset and around Husøyleira.

The well-known Ona lighthouse was first lit on October 20, 1867, and quickly became an important landmark for all navigators along the coast. The lighthouse was built in cast iron and is 15 meters high. It is located on the Onakalven, which is the highest point on the island. The lighthouse was equipped with an advanced lens system that is still in use today. The lenses came straight from the World's Fair in Paris to be mounted in the Ona lighthouse. The last lighthouse manager moved away from Ona in 1971. That year, the lighthouse was automated. The lighthouse residence, located further west on the island, has been sold. The home is privately owned with a pottery workshop and retail outlet. An exhibit on view there shows some of the lighthouse's history. It is possible to climb up into the lighthouse for a fantastic view over the sea and towards the mainland.

Ona is an old fishing village with a large harbor and charming houses built close to one another. This has been a permanent settlement ever since the Middle Ages. The proximity to the sea and the rich fishing banks made Ona an important fishing village early on, the southernmost on the coast. People subsisted on fishing, and some also on trade. In the 1930s and '40s, around 300 people lived on the two islands. At that time, the islands had a school, three shops and several fish clearing houses. Today there are about 12 permanent residents on the two islands of Ona and Husøy. The pier and the harbor were completed in 1938.

Husøya is the first island which was inhabited here, probably in as early as the Bronze or Iron Age. Ona was not inhabited until the 12th century. At Husøya we find the Husøygarden, dwellings built in a clustered architectural style with a settlement history dating back to the Middle Ages. The houses have been restored and modernized and most are used as holiday homes. In more recent times, a marina for recreational boating was built, which has given the hamlet a new vitality. Central to Husøygarden is Steffågarden, a small museum in the oldest of the remaining houses. Here you can get an impression of life in a fisherman's home of the early 1900s. The museum is open all year round, in summer occasionally coffee and waffles are served.

If you go ashore at Ona, visit the restaurant Ona Havstuer during the summer months where you can also find accommodation in modern apartments. At the ferry quay is the Hummerkloa kiosk, and next door is the yarn shop Two Round Sticks, which sells locally made knitwear. New to the island is the manufacture of exquisite Ona chocolate, a brand already well known throughout Norway. Ona is also known for its ceramics production, and in addition to the workshop and the outlet in the lighthouse keeper's house, you will also find the Brun & Blå pottery workshop with retail outlets in this charming fishing village.

Aukraskogen har ei historie tilbake til 1870-talet. Christian Kaurin var prest i Aukra frå 1871 til 1876. Han var også botanikar og interessert i skogsdrift. Han fekk planta mange ulike tresortar i dette området ikkje langt frå prestegarden. Det var litt prøving og feiling for å teste kva sortar som kunne trivast på Aukra. Her er det norsk furu, buskfuru, kvitgran, alm, ask, bøk, austerrisk furu og lerk. Det er på grunn av Kaurin at ein i dag finn verdas nordlegaste bøkeskog ved Tangen. Inne i Aukraskogen ligg det ei gravrøys, ei kystrøys bygd av naken stein i perioden ca. 1500- 1000 f.Kr. Den gongen røysa vart bygd var det ikkje skog der, så røysa var godt synleg frå seglingsleia. Det er ikkje kjent at det er gjort funn i røysa. Det står ei informasjonstavle ved røysa. Midt i Aukraskogen er det bygd ein gapahuk, der det er fint å raste.

Løvikremma kystgard ligg i Løvikvegen 235. Det er ein tradisjonell kystgard frå slutten av 1800-talet. Det er ope for publikum frå 23.juni til 7.august. Kvardagar kl. 12 – 16, laurdag kl. 12-16, søndag kl. 12-16. Her finn du triveleg vertskap som tilbyr enkel servering. Løvikremma er eit eksempel på ein fiskarbonde sitt gardsbruk på Romsdalskysten. Frå husa er det utsikt mot fjord, holmar og skjær og fjella på fastlandet. Garden er eit levande museum og er eit samarbeidsprosjekt mellom Aukra kommune, grunneigar og Romsdalsmuseet. Drifta av garden er no ein del av kulturformidling til barnehagar, skuleklassar, næringsliv og andre gjester. Garden består av våningshus, løe, stabbur og torvsjå. Våningshuset vart bygd i 1861. Under krigen okkuperte tyskarane Løvikremma og brukte løa som kino og teatersal. Scena, med måla dekorasjon på bakveggen, står framleis. Den gongen garden vart bygd, var han av dei største gardane på Aukra. Det budde folk her fram til 1979.

Turen startar ved traktorvegen på parkeringsplassen. Dette er ein kort og lett tur. På vegen passerar du Ingridsteinen gravfelt med infotavle. Dette er eit område med mange gravrøyser, ca.50 stk. Når du går videre, deler stien seg. Går du til venstre kjem du til Kleivhaugen. I dette området ligg det eit stort bunkeranlegg og kanonstillingar frå 2.verdskrig. Løvika vart veldig prega av utbygging under krigen. Det vart bygd kaianlegg, lagerbygningar og jernbane. Ikkje så langt frå bunkeranlegget vart det bygd flyplass, og området vart bygd ut for å handtere aktivitet, utstyr og personell til den aktiviteten. Delar av bunkeranlegg og kanonstillingar er no rydda for vegetasjon. Dette for å tilrettelegge for å bruke området. Det står informasjonsskilt om aktivitet som var her under krigen.

Ørnehaugen er eit av dei mest besøkte turmåla i Aukra. På toppen av Ørnehaugen er det god utsikt over Ormen Lange-anlegget på Nyhamna. Du ser også gamle oljetankar frå den gongen det låg ein kvalstasjon her på 1920- og 30-talet, som produserte olje og kjøtt. Frå stasjonen skjedde det også havforsking. Frå Ørnehaugen er det også flott utsikt mot Bud og Bjørnsund. På turen er det fleire informasjonsskilt om gammal historie i området.

Roktamonumentet ligg på Rindarøya. Ved monumentet er det rasteplass og flott havutsikt. Her er også informasjonsskilt om Roktaforliset. Roktamonumentet er reist til minne om frakteskuta «Rokta», som forliste ved Galleskjæra under ein orkan 3.april i 1938. Seks av eit mannskap på tolv mista livet. Mange frå Rindarøya og Aukra deltok i redningsaksjonen. Redningsaksjonen var den første som vart dekt direkte i media, radio, med utgangspunkt i Rindarøya. Arnulf Øverland skreiv seinare diktet «Redningsdåden på Hustadvika» for å fortelje om denne hendelsen. Monumentet vart reist 50 år etter forliset, og det er laga av Nicolaus Widerberg.