Pitcairn Island experience Wednesday, February 13 + 5 sea days....
February 11 and 12 sea days
Well, after 2 days the grumbling about Easter Island has died down. The weather is getting warmer- in the low 80's with humidity to match. The sun is also much more intense. If you stay out more than 10 minutes...sunscreen is a must. I get a little pink just walking around the covered deck due to the reflection off the water, but I am getting my tan on. The southern swell has stayed with us, rocking us to sleep at night and becoming a challenge when I walk the deck. It's like walking on a teeter-totter. Not only am I using the normal walking muscles, but I am also using muscles to balance with at the same time. I guess that's a win-win, but sometimes when it's really rocking it is a challenge. The gentle swells put me right to sleep at night, but sometimes I have weird dreams of my house falling down and earthquakes....go figure. We have also turned back the clocks 1 hr. every night, so that leads to the confusion. I feel like I am in a time warp. We are all looking forward to the Pitcairn Islanders coming aboard tomorrow.
February 13.....Pitcairn Island.
What a fabulous 3 hours. Not many people can say that they have actually met and conversed with a native of the Island. We anchored off of the island about 10 am and about 20 or so Islanders motored over and came on board. They set up their native crafts on the tables provided by the ship which consisted of carvings out of the native wood, stamps, postcards, some t-shirts, but the most coveted was the native honey. It is said to be the purest honey in the world and totally free of apian disease. Bruce scored 5 jars. We also bought some wood carvings that were signed and made by the descendants of Fletcher Christian.....well, we will take it with a grain of salt. But, after talking with them I believe it.
One of the most remote islands on earth, it is only inhabited with about 38 people, 33 full time residents, and 5 1 year contract workers from New Zealand. They consist of a doctor, teacher, policemen, and a couple of government workers. Out of the 33 full timers 85% are descendants of the mutineers of the HMS Bounty and the small group of Tahitian people that they abducted and took with them. Upon landing they burned the ship, vowing never to leave. The remains of the ship are still in Bounty Bay, but it's hard to get diving permit to see it. Now this is a British overseas territory, and they get supplies from New Zealand every 3 months. They do have limited wifi and only one television channel from Australia. The generators are run from 7am-10pm every day, and their bathroom is a 45 ft hole in the ground. Big cisterns are used to collect rainwater since there are no rivers or streams on the island. The ground is so fertile, they grow an abundance of bananas, avocados, papaya, and various other tropical fruits and veg. They also fish, and collect wood from a neighboring island for the wonderful bowls and platters that are handmade. But on the downside....they have to burn all of their garbage.
It was an interesting 3 hrs. They packed up what was left of their unsold crafts, and since they had plenty of foodstuffs, I heard that the ship provided them with a few cases of wine and chocolate for the party on the island that night. One of the locals was admiring the fused glass pendant that I had made, so of course I gifted it to her...she was thrilled.
Well, after 2 days the grumbling about Easter Island has died down. The weather is getting warmer- in the low 80's with humidity to match. The sun is also much more intense. If you stay out more than 10 minutes...sunscreen is a must. I get a little pink just walking around the covered deck due to the reflection off the water, but I am getting my tan on. The southern swell has stayed with us, rocking us to sleep at night and becoming a challenge when I walk the deck. It's like walking on a teeter-totter. Not only am I using the normal walking muscles, but I am also using muscles to balance with at the same time. I guess that's a win-win, but sometimes when it's really rocking it is a challenge. The gentle swells put me right to sleep at night, but sometimes I have weird dreams of my house falling down and earthquakes....go figure. We have also turned back the clocks 1 hr. every night, so that leads to the confusion. I feel like I am in a time warp. We are all looking forward to the Pitcairn Islanders coming aboard tomorrow.
February 13.....Pitcairn Island.
What a fabulous 3 hours. Not many people can say that they have actually met and conversed with a native of the Island. We anchored off of the island about 10 am and about 20 or so Islanders motored over and came on board. They set up their native crafts on the tables provided by the ship which consisted of carvings out of the native wood, stamps, postcards, some t-shirts, but the most coveted was the native honey. It is said to be the purest honey in the world and totally free of apian disease. Bruce scored 5 jars. We also bought some wood carvings that were signed and made by the descendants of Fletcher Christian.....well, we will take it with a grain of salt. But, after talking with them I believe it.
One of the most remote islands on earth, it is only inhabited with about 38 people, 33 full time residents, and 5 1 year contract workers from New Zealand. They consist of a doctor, teacher, policemen, and a couple of government workers. Out of the 33 full timers 85% are descendants of the mutineers of the HMS Bounty and the small group of Tahitian people that they abducted and took with them. Upon landing they burned the ship, vowing never to leave. The remains of the ship are still in Bounty Bay, but it's hard to get diving permit to see it. Now this is a British overseas territory, and they get supplies from New Zealand every 3 months. They do have limited wifi and only one television channel from Australia. The generators are run from 7am-10pm every day, and their bathroom is a 45 ft hole in the ground. Big cisterns are used to collect rainwater since there are no rivers or streams on the island. The ground is so fertile, they grow an abundance of bananas, avocados, papaya, and various other tropical fruits and veg. They also fish, and collect wood from a neighboring island for the wonderful bowls and platters that are handmade. But on the downside....they have to burn all of their garbage.
It was an interesting 3 hrs. They packed up what was left of their unsold crafts, and since they had plenty of foodstuffs, I heard that the ship provided them with a few cases of wine and chocolate for the party on the island that night. One of the locals was admiring the fused glass pendant that I had made, so of course I gifted it to her...she was thrilled.
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| Adamstown-the only settlement on Pitcairn. yep, thats it.. |
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| closer look |
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| Picairn |
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| One of the natives selling stamps |
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