Pitcairn Island

First Sighting of Pitcairn Island

Pitcairn is the very tiny island in the south Pacific where the infamous Mutiny on the Bounty concluded. The lecture we attended earlier today was fascinating – let me share my notes with you. The Pitcairn Islands (officially four) are named Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie, & Oeno – are a group of islands in the southern Pacific that are the last remaining British overseas territory in the Pacific. Pitcairn Island itself was named after Midshipman Robert Pitcairn, a fifteen-year-old crewmember who was the first to sight it. In 1790, the mutineers of the Bounty and their Tahitian companions, some of whom were actually kidnapped from Tahiti, settled on Pitcairn Island and then set fire to the Bounty. We were told they were trying to find a place to hide from the British Navy, and they say that the wreck is still visible underwater in what is now known as Bounty Bay. The ship itself was discovered in 1957 by National Geographic explorer Luis Marden.

I’m rambling here, but the island is only 2 miles wide X 1 mile long, & located about 1,200 miles from Tahiti. Like Easter Island, it’s out in the middle of nowhere! There are currently 57 residents on the island – that’s it – and all residents are descendants from the mutineers (nine generations) who threw Captain Bly and several dozen others off the Bounty. They say it’s the least populated jurisdiction in the world, although it’s not a sovereign nation. The largest population it held was back in 1937 with 233 people, but through emigration to New Zealand, the population has dwindled to what it is now.The people on Pitcairn receive mail FOUR times a year from Tahiti – that’s it! They have no TV, no Radio, but apparently DO have internet. They receive TWO shipments of food & other supplies each year, all by sea. There’s no doctor or dentist on the island – if they get seriously ill, a special boat has to be dispatched from Tahiti, and again, that’s 1,200 west. The few children are sent to New Zealand for education.

We learned today that we will be off-loading a special shipment of supplies from Lima, Peru – primarily water & rice. We also found out that our plans to have the majority of the islander’s board our ship has changed. Apparently, 23 people (35% of the population) have contracted the H2N3 flu virus – the same flu strain devastating North America at the moment and is said to be highly contagious. They believe it was brought to the island on a passing cruise ship 6 weeks ago. They said we’ll still be dropping the shipment of goods from Peru – apparently into to one of their longboats pulled alongside, and since it’s a one-way operation, no cross-contamination is expected. This is disappointing – the residents spend much of their time making baskets, hats, & other handmade goods that they sell to cruise ship passengers – this is apparently one of very few sources of income for them.