PITCAIRN ISLAND – “THE PITCAIRN EXPERIENCE”!

Saturday, January 25, 2025, Temp 73 degrees, Humidity 74%, W – SE 8.8 mph

So many wonderful things about the Pitcairn Islands – unbelievably blue waters, lush green vegetation, fascinating history and unique modern style (more about all these) BUT part of “The Pitcairn Experience” was John’s worst nightmare – a mass of humanity on the Lido Deck Poolside all pushing to buy crafts, honey, t-shirts, postcards and stamps from the Picarians who had come aboard that morning. The harbor is not large enough to accommodate large cruise ships or even their Tenders, so they came to us. The announcement said they would be coming aboard in Longboats, so we were envisioning long outrigger canoes with colorfully dressed natives rowing out to us, but they actually arrived in a large, motorized boat, approx. 20’, similar to a Navy launch boat, and were dressed in jeans and t-shirts (so much for a “romantic” arrival). We thought it might be an entertainment program similar to what we had seen in Peru – NOT. It was primarily a shopping opportunity, although the talk later by the current mayor was very interesting. I ran the gauntlet and waited in line to buy some postcards with Picarian stamps to be postmarked on the Island. The postcards won’t leave the Island until 2/15 and won’t arrive in New Zealand until 3/15; from there, their journey should be a little quicker to US. We also paid $15 each to have our passports stamped with a Pitcairn stamp (many countries don’t stamp passports anymore). Enough complaining, so much good about the island.

The earliest known settlers were Polynesians who appear to have lived on Pitcairn Island for several centuries from at least the 11th century. They traded with neighboring islands until eventually the limited resources were exhausted. A civil war on a neighboring island caused Pitcairn to be cut off and eventually became extinct.

A Portuguese sailor, sailing for Spain came upon the Islands in1606 but the Islands got their name in 1767 when the British sloop Swallow spotted the islands. They were named for Robert Pitcairn, a 15-year-old crew member who was first to sight the island. The island was charted by the Captain (Captain Carteret) but his coordinates were off and placed the island approx. 210 miles to the west of the actual island. That’s why Captain Cook couldn’t find the island in 1773.

Pitcairn is most famous because of its association with the mutineers from the Bounty (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame). In 1790, nine of the Mutineers from the Bounty, along with native Tahitian men and women with them) settled on Pitcairn Island and set fire to the Bounty. Of the 43 people who currently live on Pitcairn, all but 8 have direct blood ties to the Bounty. The current Mayor said that when he first visited 35 years ago, all but 2 inhabitants had Mutiny ancestry. Every year in January, on the anniversary of the burning of the Bounty by the mutineers, the inhabitants burn a replica of the Bounty in the harbor. We just missed it!

Although several ships passed by the Island, it was not until 1808 that the American Sealing ship Topaz, landed on the island. Later, Whalers became regular visitors to the islands.

The Pitcairn Islands are a group of four islands (Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oreo Islands) in the Southern Pacific Ocean. Today they are the last remaining British Overseas Territory in the Pacific. Its citizens hold British Passports, but their currency is the New Zealand Dollar. ($1 New Zealand Dollar today is worth $.59 to US$). It is located 1,134 miles from Easter Island and 3,429 miles from New Zealand.

Pitcairn is a democracy with Mayor and Commissioners elected every three years. There is a two-term limit for Mayor. The current Mayor of Pitcairn, Simon, has been Mayor for 2 years. He is the first non-native Mayor. He was born in Britian, visited as a young man and returned to Pitcairn 10 years later with his new wife for a visit on their way to immigrate to Australia or New Zealand. They never left and have lived on Pitcairn for 25 years. As mentioned before, there are 43 current residents, all but 8 with direct ties to Bounty. The population is primarily Seventh Day Adventist who celebrate the Sabbath on Saturday. One of the city officials on board commented that there would have been more “vendors” represented but some didn’t participate because it was Saturday. They have a school and public education is provided for 5 -15 years. Currently the school is closed because there are no children of school age. The youngest inhabitant, a 15-year-old, continues his education at a boarding school in New Zealand, There is a Doctor on the Island and a Municipal Police Chief, both of whom are supplied by the British government. The Island also receives annual financial support ($2.2 million currently). There are no drugs and no crime. Pitcairn is known for its honey (bees were brought to the island in 1880’s) and is working to develop its tourism industry. Although there were 300+ inhabitants in 1930’s, they are working to increase their population; they would consider 80 the optimum number. The Mayor said they had no specific requirements (specific skills, profession, etc.) but they are targeting younger people and families NOT 80 years+ (primarily due to medical concerns) – many Zuiderdam cruisers were very disappointed to hear that! When we returned to the room after dinner, there was a certificate signed by the Captain “For Having the Unique Opportunity to Experience Pitcairn Island from Aboard the Zuiderdam”. This is our third certificate, the other two for completing successful visits to the Panama Canal and Easter Island. We don’t receive one for every port, evidently just special “Bucket List” ones!