Pitcairn Island is part of the Pitcairn group of islands, the only British Overseas Territory in the South Pacific. With just 35 to 40 permanent residents—most of whom are descendants of nine HMS Bounty mutineers and twelve Tahitian women—it is located 430 miles from it’s nearest inhabited island.
The island’s facilities are too small to accommodate a visit from our ship but lying offshore we welcomed aboard 12 of the residents – a third of their population – who came out in a small boat to meet us.
The party included their deputy mayor.
The nine mutineers, along with six Tahitian men and twelve Tahitian women, arrived on the island in 1790. However, alcoholism and feuding soon became rampant. When the Royal Navy eventually discovered the island and its settlers in 1814, all the men had either succumbed to disease or had been murdered, except for the mutineer John Adams, who was living peacefully with the Tahitian women and their offspring.
Taking account of his work, in establishing a peaceful society that is, he was pardoned by the British government for his role in the mutiny.
One of the islanders, herself a descendant of John Adams and several other mutineers, gave a most interesting talk about life on the island.
We saw the island’s only supply vessel, The Silver Supporter, making one of just four annual visits bringing supplies from New Zealand.
We then circumnavigated the island two times while some of the visitors sold items crafted on the island.
After our final circumnavigation, the small boat returned to collect the visitors.
In the picture below, the remains of the Bounty, which was burned and sunk by the mutineers to help conceal their location, lie on the seabed between the small boat and the harbour wall.
We are now heading towards Papeete (Tahiti) and are due there on Tuesday morning.
Our clocks are nine hours behind GMT. They go back almost every night. Frequent lie-ins – perfect!
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