Pitcairn Islands - Ilhas Pitcairn

At Pitcairn Islands they are a remote grouping of islands in the South Pacific, far from any continent and even other inhabited islands. They are the last British colony in the South Pacific. The rugged main island was occupied by the ship's mutinous crew. Bounty and by the Polynesians who accompanied them, most of the island's inhabitants today being their descendants. They form the smallest population entity to have an ISO country code.

Regions

• Pitcairn Island - the only inhabited of the archipelago
• Henderson Island - the biggest of all, and fallen World Heritage Site by UNESCO due to the endangered species of birds that inhabit there
• Oeno and Sandy Islands - pair of nearby islands and local "rest" location.
• Ducie Island - far from the others, with lots of exotic birds

Cities

• Adamstown, a village made up of scattered houses, located high on the Mountain of Difficulty, above Bounty Bay. Is the capital.

Understand

Pitcairn was either inhabited or frequently visited by Polynesians many centuries ago, as there are numerous inscriptions on the stones. It was also visited for short periods by Portuguese and British explorers, one of whom gave it its name. It remained deserted until 1790, when the mutinous crew of the Bounty and his Tahitian counterparts settled on the island under the leadership of Fletcher Christian. They burned and sank the ship in the bay named after him. The place was chosen because there was no other place where the ship (or what was left of it) could be hidden. A village was then founded on Pitcairn. It was a lawless community at first, dominated by violent drunks, until John Adams, the last surviving mutineer, converted women and children to Christianity. The population remained anonymous for 24 years, until it was rediscovered by the British, who allowed the community to remain. Pitcairn was the first Pacific island to become a British colony, in 1838, and remains so to this day, as the last vestige of that South Pacific empire. The population peak happened in 1937, when it reached 233 inhabitants. The main reasons for the population decrease are emigration to the Norfolk Islands and the New Zealand, occurred in the last century, as well as the near ban on immigration.

Climate

The climate is humid and tropical, with the Tropic of Capricorn passing just north of the islands; average temperatures are 16ºC in winter and 30ºC in summer. Precipitation is moderate, with the winter being slightly more rainy. The region is subject to the passage of typhoons between November and March, but they do not occur very often.

Landscape

Each island in the archipelago is unique, even with different origins.

• Pitcairn it has a volcanic formation, with many cliffs and few beaches, its highest peak measures 337 m and is the only one with a fresh water source.
• Henderson, the largest of them, is flat and formed by corals, despite its elevation (between 15 and 30 m above sea level) due to volcanic activity. There are many caves on the coast. There is no fresh water.
• oeno it is small, flat, surrounded by coral reefs; it is a typical paradise island in the South Pacific, with palm trees, beaches and an inner lagoon. Next to it is a small sand island known as "Sandy Island". There is no fresh water.
• Ducie it is away from the rest, 200 km from Henderson and 350 km from Pitcairn; it is surrounded by reefs, and there are many sea birds. Bring water.

To arrive

Pitcairn's isolation, uneven terrain, bureaucracy and scarcity of resources all combined to make it a very difficult place to visit. Anyone who wants to stay on the island for any length of time must apply for a license from the governor, as irregular transport means having to stay on the island for several weeks, sometimes months. These licenses require a certificate of health, proof of leaving the island at the end of the visit, such as a ticket on the next ship, a minimum of NZ$300 per week to cover travel costs, among other conditions, plus a fee of NZ$100; the license is valid for six months. [1]

By airplane

There is no airstrip on the islands, which are also out of reach for helicopters anywhere else; therefore, flying is not an option. The only flat area where only a very short runway would fit is on the remote island of Henderson, but nothing can be built there, as it is an ecological sanctuary and a UNESCO listed site. The nearest airport is at Mangareva in the Gambier Islands, 530 km.

Of boat

The main island is accessible to tourists via a small number of cruise ships and private yachts. sailing from French Polynesian it's relatively practical; from anywhere else, like New Zealand or Chile, means crossing thousands of nautical miles in the Pacific Ocean.

• Pacific Expeditions - R/V Bounty Bay, Rarotonga, in the Cook Islands, 682-52400. [2] Offers trips to Mangareva, in the Gambier Islands, for Pitcairn.
• Ocean Voyages, 1 415-332-4681 [3] schedule charters for the region.

The island is located halfway between New Zealand and the Channel. Panama, close to the main sea route; so traveling on a cargo ship is possible. Contact the Pitcairn Administration office in New Zealand (tel. 64-9 366-0186) to arrange a ticket (fare between US$800 and US$1000 one-way).

There is no safe dock for medium and large ships; visitors access the island in dinghies, which arrive in Bounty Bay, while ships are anchored offshore.

Circular

There is only one paved road on the main island, which runs from Bounty Bay to Adamstown, up to Difficulty Mountain. Most of the paths on the island are dirt tracks, which are generally very bumpy. Walking or riding motorbikes (4-wheel) are the main means of locomotion; bicycles are rented.

Speak

English is the official language and spoken by everyone. The pitkern -- mixture of 18th century English with Tahitian and ship slang (eg. all hands for everyone, everybody) -- is spoken among the natives.

Look

• the remains of Bounty, in Bounty Bay.
• THE anchor of Bounty, in front of the public building, next to the post office/library and the church.
• The new museum in Adamstown, with artifacts from the sunken ship, stamps, copies of the magazine National Geographic about the islands, among other attractions. It is also planned to display one of the ship's four cannons.
• O John Adams tomb, the one who Christianized the community.
• THE Christian Fletcher's Cave.
• A Galapagos tortoise called Mrs Turpin, left on the island at the beginning of the 20th century, now lives in tedside, on the northwest coast of the island.
• Taro Ground, in the south, is the flattest area of ​​the island, with the radio station.
• flatland it is a small plateau, above Adamstown, with a tennis court, volleyball and picnic facilities.
• Garnet's Ridge, at 300 m high, provides a great view of the island, from east to west; the highest point on the island is 337 m.
• down rope, a cliff on the southeast edge of the island, with Polynesian inscriptions on the rocks and a secluded, sandy beach at its base.
• Gudgeon it is a cave at sea level on the southeast side of the island, where a wide, wide sandy beach, dug by the tide, hides.

Knife

• With the ocean calm, swimming in the St. Paul's Pool, in the eastern part of Pitcairn. Swimming, however, can be dangerous due to the excess of rocks.
• Navigate to other islands. Oeno has beautiful beaches, good for swimming and diving.
• Bird watching in Henderson. It's also good for diving.
• On January 23, annually, the "Bounty Day", with a large community dinner and the burning of a scale replica of the Bounty .

With the

There is a small grocery store with products imported from New Zealand and French Polynesia, open three days a week for an hour.

The cuisine is based on seafood, combined with bananas, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, tomatoes, among other vegetables. There is a wide variety of fruits grown on the island.

Drink it

You can buy alcohol at the Government store and at Christian's Cafe.

sleep

Anyone who stays on the island for more than a day must arrange a place to sleep with the mayor; loners and couples usually stay in the homes of the locals; groups occupy the place of government known as "The Lodge". It is necessary to arrange a place to stay before obtaining a license to visit the island.

Buy

The local economy is based on barter (direct trade), with the island's inhabitants producing most of their food, bartering with passing freighters or fishing communally. When money is used, New Zealand dollars are used. However, US Dollars, Australian Dollars or British Pounds are also easily accepted.

The main items produced at the place are baskets, models of the Bounty, small sculptures of the country's wildlife, honey and postage stamps. Everything else needs to be imported and costs accordingly.

Work

There are no jobs available to non-residents, and only a few basic professional services, such as a teacher, nurse, social worker, are employed by the government in New Zealand, in addition to the church-appointed Adventist pastor. On the other hand, everyone on the island temporarily must find a means of support and help the community, such as working on the boats that go to the freighters to get supplies.

Safety

There was a serious and chronic sexual abuse problem against young local women in 2004, which resulted in an investigation of the male population and the arrest of six men. Before that, the country was always considered a very safe place, with no violent crime. After that, too.

Health

Periodically, medical teams spend time on the island examining the inhabitants. Pitcairn has a small health center with dental equipment, X-ray equipment and emergency medicine. In addition, the pastor's wife works as a nurse. However, more serious problems cannot be dealt with on the island, and someone in an emergency situation may have to wait days or weeks for a ship to provide adequate transportation or medical facilities.

respect

Almost the entire population is members of the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Although ceremonies have declined, church doctrine is highly influential in both public practice and civil law. For example, alcohol was banned until recently; dancing, showing affection and smoking cigarettes in public are frowned upon; Saturdays are holy and rest days, and one can only pray; people dress modestly.

Do not bring bees or beekeeping equipment to the island, as the country has its bees certified as disease-free and honey production is one of its main economic activities. In addition, the competition that would be established between the local bees and those that were introduced could cause serious ecological imbalances.

Stay in touch

• There is only one satellite phone on the island, with an answering machine: 872 76-233-7766.
• Electricity (240V) only for a short time in the morning and a few hours at night. There are no radios or TVs.
• Courier services are via New Zealand, irregular, sometimes taking months to deliver. The post office is open three days a week for one hour.
• Thanks to the seismic monitoring service on Pitcairn, the island is now connected to the internet, via satellite, at 128 kbps, with a free wireless connection throughout Adamstown.

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