The coral pillar is topped by a cross made of Lisbon stone, which almost certainly dates from da Gama's time, and stands on the rocks at the northern end of Casuarina Beach.

It was destroyed in the 1980s for building material and all that remains are four solid coral pillars that rest in the island school yard.

Thirty strong, we left the cityreef, its cultivated coral pillars phosphorescing red and yellow, pearl and blue.

The shrieks and clicks of their conversation echoed through the huge throne room with its coral pillars and tapestries of hanging kelp.

The Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama met Malindi authorities in 1498 to sign a trade agreement and hire a guide for the voyage to India, when he erected a coral pillar.

Sixteen tall coral pillars stood in the center of the meadow, forming a circle around a clearing.