Day 12 on Pitcairn (Sunday 1 September)

This morning we woke and the sister ship to the MV Claymore, the Braveheart, had arrived sometime during the night.  It was carrying a few of the locals who had spent the past 2 months on Henderson Island (one of the islands in the group of Pitcairn Islands) irradicating rats in conjunction with some wildlife group (which had previously failed so this is the 2nd attempt).

The Braveheart is considerbly smaller than the Claymore, it is marginally longer than 2 longerboats end to end!

The turnaround to pick up passengers is very quick so we missed seeing them take the long boat out of the sheds and got down to the landing when they were coming back in, this photo is where the come into the jetty - the gap between the rocks and the jetty is quite narrow ...

Once past the edge of the jetty they manouvre the long boat alongside the landing, unfortunately one of the passengers was holding on to the edge of the boat and as the long boat pulled up alongside the landing it scrapped it along with her hand ... I think she was in alot of pain!
There is a team effort to unload the luggage by both hand and a crane (a pile of junk was in a net and that was lifted by the crane)



Henderson Island, where they went, is an uninhabited island so they must have lived in a tent and had taken everything with them so when they came back they had containers, plastic bags etc, heaps of stuff but I suppose they also had to bring back their rubbish.

After visiting the landing we went back down to the Store and Curio market, a few of the locals had their wares out, mainly carvings and t shirts, I had a big spend up there! (it is important to keep the local econonmy alive!).  Here is a photo of Mum with Kerry (my cousin)

After the market we went in to the museum, which was full of bounty stuff and bits and pieces.  The museum is just up from where Mavis lives so we stopped and chatted to them as Nola and Reynold where also there (they come back on the boat to Tauranga with us)

 here is Neil, Mavis (middle) and Nola (left)

now Mavis has taken a real shine to Neil and loves his sense of humour!  Mavis is a distant cousin of mine, can't remember how as this is one confusing island when it comes to who is related to who.  Now if I am right Merralda is the daughter of Mavis and she also lives here so when she finished at the curio market (she makes spectacular tapas) she came back home and took us on a tour of the house.
In the garden not far from where we sat are 2 items from the bounty - first the bell

 and then a ballist (spelling?) from the bounty

Merralda then took us to show her garden which has the plant used in making of tapa

she then took us inside to show her stone oven ...

 I think quite a few islanders still use a wood stove or stone oven (similar things really).  Merralda does alot of preserving and drying of stuff and only yesterday she had preserved some tuna (probably the equivalent to tinned tuna!) and is better than the canned stuff.  Basically they put the tuna in a preserving jar with vinegar and salt and then boil it in a pot (the jar is in the pot) for 2 hours ...

she also dries banana, papaya (paw paw) and coconut in protected nets on her roof and this is then packaged up and sent to Poland where she has a niche market there.  In fact I think she does quite well out of a niche market for her tapa drawings, dried fruit and soap and coconut oil.  Mind you her soap is made by Cousin Kerry but made on behalf for her.
After lunch we decide to go for a swim down the landing again in the hope that we would spot the turtles (as there has been sightings of them in the afternoon but no one has yet managed to get a photo of them as they are quick!).
As soon as we got there they were there 2 of them but they quickly left and I think a third one was there or one of the original 2 had returned only to quickly leave again!  But I did manage to get a shot of one (the smaller one)

it was probably 1 and half the size of little Kouta!
Also with the turtles was blue bottles so they got the broom out and Kim got in his Kayak to collect most of them, once we thought the area was free of them we slowly got in (there was still one or 2!) out in the middle of the landing there was none so I hung around there in the hope the turtles would return.
Neil and Lea Ann put on their snorkels and mask and went a  looking  for the turtles and fish, while I swam with the kids who were diving for rocks that I threw.
After I got out the kids and Neil decide to jump of the jetty ... Turika and Bradley did these impressive big jumps from the highest part of the jetty ...

 while Neil chickened out  and stayed on the lower level!

unfortunately they all had to keep repeating their jumps as we kept missing them in the camera!
While we were there Dad found, what he called, a genuine stainless steel bolt and he insisted it was from the bounty ... what do you think?

LOL - we joke that everything we find is from the bounty wreck!
Later on that evening the Claymore was returning back to Mangareva on its' passenger run, since I was cooking dinner I sent Neil back down to the Landing to video and photograph the departure ... he missed the long boats coming out of the shed but got the loading, out to the ship and then the long boats going back in the shed.
Here is the boat coming off the ramp and into the water (where we had previously been swimming!) this process is quite quick unlike the old days where they had no winch and no outboard motor and only a team of 14 rowers!

 again the manual loading of luggage ... (everyone on the island is there)

and here is the long boat going out to the Claymore ... (this will be us next Sunday)

Day 11 on Pitcairn (Saturday 31 August)

Today is Sabbath so no one works today and really no one is around.  We went for a big walk and saw absolutely no one! (Dad did see the Attorney General and his assistant while waiting for us when we went to Gannet Ridge).
Dad, Mum, Sharon, Bradley, Neil and I headed off to do the last important road for us to walk so that we can say that we walked all of Pitcairn Island (there are still a few small ones to do but we can complete enroute to something else!).  So todays mission was to the Highest Point on the island.  Basically we headed up and over to the other side of the island to pick up Palva Valley Road.  We passed the radio station again but today it was a lovely fine and warm day.  The walk to the Highest Point was relatively easy … maybe it was because we had to go slowly for Mum and Dad.  Orginally they were only suppose to come to the radio station and then turn back but the insisted on walking to the Highest Point … although it is easy to get there the walk home still has to be done by them!
At the Highest Point there are distance markers to the rest of the world … unfortunately no Melbourne but there is a Sydney and even no Auckland but a Wellington!

We stopped there and had a little lunch

The view from the Highest Point isn’t the greatest on the island but it did give me a good view of the ocean and just how clear it really is …

While having lunch we could see threatening skies all around us and the showers that may or may not hit the island

(check out the curved trunk of the Norfolk Pine!).  Fortunately the rain didn’t hit the island.

At this point we find a satellite marker

So we had across the path to Garnets Ridge path.  The view across is fabulous of Adamstown so we all stop to admire the view…

Once at the steps to the start of the Garnets Ridge walk Dad decides to wait for us but Mum insists on coming with us so we climb up and basically it meanders along the top of a ridge with spectacular views either side – to our left (the west side of the island)

And to our right (Adamstown look east)

Mum, Neil and Sharon are ahead of me and I am not quite sure where Bradley is … flittering around somewhere!

This is basically the track we walk along!

Since Sharon is movie making I overtake and here is Mum keeping up with Neil

And scrambling up some rocks (reliving her youth!)

And here is Sharon and Bradley way way way back there!

Some of the locals also out walking!

They are wild goats.

Sharon and Mum enjoying the view

Mum and Neil decide to stop there … the wind is not strong up here today so Sharon, Bradley and I decide to head towards the Norfolk Pine.  You can see some of the path has disappeared!

We get there quite easily and you can see the pine is not as big as the others as the wind (which can be strong up here) has taken the top of it

I am enjoying the view by myself as Bradley has had to wait for Sharon!

Sharon has a tendancy to stop and video and not watch the path that Bradley takes to get down the rocks so he has to always go back and show here where to go (he covers a few extra kilometers due to the back tracking!)

The end point of this track sits just above Christian’s cave and the view of Adamstown is great so much that I can zoom in and Bounty Bay is quite clear …

Here is Bradley climbing up the Norfolk Pine … somehow I don’t think it was wind that snapped the pine in the past but the kids climbing it!

So we make our way back and pick up Dad and head back Big Ridge Road to Flatland … now our dilemma begins do we take Mum and Dad the short but steep way back or continue down to the outskirts of Adamstown and let them climb the hill they are already familiar with which is longer but easier … we opt for the longer. 

We pass where the island sheds with tractors are and come across the old tractor that we think was dropped by the New Zealand Airforce Hercules Plane 30 years ago

We pass a small patch of Pineapples

The other day one of the islanders gave a small but late in the season pineapple and it was so sweet and juicy.

Exhausted we arrive back 4 hours after we started … I think Mum and Dad are tired as I am guessing looking at the map that they have walked a loooooooooooooong way maybe around 7-8km of not so flat walking! 

Day 10 on Pitcairn - Friday 30 August

Initially we were meant to complete our circumnavigation around the island by road today by walking to the highest point on the island but when I went to see what everyone was doing I ended up with Emily and Bradley in tow and they mentioned St Pauls – you remember the other day Neil and I went there to try to have a swim but it was too rough with the water pounding in to the large rock pool?  Well they mentioned that it might be a  calm day there for a swim so we decided to chance it and walked there again (the walk is easy getting there it is just the getting back – steep hill back!)

We took Dad with us and then Lea Ann and Uschi were going to come later on the quad bike.  On our way to St Pauls we saw the yacht that had earlier asked the islanders if they could set anchor and come ashore for the day … it was parked not far from The Claymore!

We got to St Pauls and you can clearly see that it is a lot calmer than they other day!

The water is pristine clear … perfect for swimming

I had to wait for Neil and the kids to stop fannying about and get in the water before I got in

Finally they all got in

They said it was cold and I didn’t have Lea Anns wetsuit as I left it for her since she was coming down later.  Once I got in it was fine but I didn’t take as long as Neil and the Kids to get in.

It was lovely in the water and it wasn’t as rough as what I thought it would be.  There was water coming in from the ocean but that was at the other end opposite to where we were predominantly swimming.  Even when a big wave did come in there wasn’t much undertow.
Lea Ann finally turned up to snorkel but didn’t stay in very long

We walked back with the kids while Lea Ann took dad to the top on the quad bike and went back to get Uschi

Later on that night we went to dinner at Steve and Olives’ café.  Since there are a lot of tourists and government agents on the island (17 of us) they opened up the café for a $15 meal – you had a choice of crumbed fish, beef rissoles or fried chicken … I had fish.  The serving sizes were huge!

After that there was a party up at Cousin Andys house so we went there and there was a mixture of non islanders and islanders, loud music and dancing

It took us a while to get up and dance – just me and Sharon – doing the macarena

Neil, Lea Ann and Uschi piked out.  The music was too loud and by 11pm we were knackered and decided to leave Sharon partying the night away and headed home!  Clear night so we could see all the stars.

Day 9 on Pitcairn (Thursday 29 August)

Thought I would do this post at the end of the day since it was a quiet and leisurely day and not when I normally do it which is early next morning!
Today the Claymore returns to Pitcairn on passenger run #1 (the next one arrives next Thursday) and will leave on Sunday to Mangareva.  The ship arrived early this morning and by the time we got down to the Landing at 8.45am the longboats had already launched, picked up the passengers and Bob the chief engineer (the only one of the crew that is allowed on the island as that is in his contract ... Nigel the Claymore owner won't let the crew ashore as in the past one crew member go drunk etc ... but unfortunately he is apparently still punishing the crew for it ... which doesn't make sense really as they are wonderful!), came back to the Landing, unloaded the passengers and had just begun to put the longboat away so we missed that so on Sunday or next Thursday we will make sure we get there in time to see the boats launched.

 After everyone had left Neil and I walked back home, yesterday while in the square Sharon dobbed me in to Jacqui Christian, who is the editor of the Pitcairn Miscellany which is the monthly newsletter for the island and also it has a subscription following overseas via paper and email, to write an article about our voyage so far ... just our impressions etc.  Sharon used the excuse that she doesn't have time but apparentlty I do!  So I said okay and how much and Jacqui just said a page or half a page so then Sharon decides that she does have time and will write it so I say why don't we both write a piece since we both have different impressions of Pitcairn ... Sharons' being spiritual and mine being some what more practical!  So I spent an hour writing up a piece ... not sure if that is what Jacqui wants but I wrote it a bit like my blog ... humour since chatting to Dave Brown yesterday who said that the newsletter was "add some sort of expletive here and then something that you excrete!"  and that it was boring etc.
So this afternoon we took Bradley swimming with us at The Landing ... they still had the Pitcairn Island flag flying (it was done for this mornings arrival of visitors)

 Neil had his wetsuit and I borrowed Lea Anns ...

 I don't think we really needed it but it did keep us warm while in the water and it was very bouyant too!  Here is Bradley and Neil faffing around trying to get in the water but finding it a tad cold!

 Neil enjoying himself ...

 Bradley going out to check out the waves, but deciding that it is not worth it since Kimiora turned up ...

 So Kim runs in and gets the mask and snorkels and a spear gun and decides to catch fish ...

 here is a beached whale just floating in the water ...

 funny I  should mention a beached whale, we haven't seen any frolicking in the sea since we last saw them on Thursday.  But we did see about 1.5-2m in front of us a large turtle head bob up so Neil took off to the side to grab the mask and I took off out of the water to get the camera to see if I could see it in the water when looking down from the Jetty.  Unfortunately it was a cloudy day so you could quite see the bottom of the sea.  Still great knowing that the turtle was swimming with us even if we didn't know it!
Kimiora speared 3 fish call 'moi'

 Yesterday I informed the Kids that as a rule back home in Melbourne I don't eat meat and told them because I don't like the killing of animals.  So they said what about fish and I still said no I won't kill one unless I needed to survive and had to kill one but being here everyone else does the killing so I don't need to catch and kill a fish.  The 2 boys think it funny and made every effort to snap the damn head of the fish in front of me!
Back at Brendas' her son Andrew (my cousin) is busily making a bowl and lid for Uschi.  He is very talented and takes a 'stick' as they call it and us a bandsaw to cut the stick into blocks ...

 blocks of wood (miro I think)

 and then using some machine and hand tool shapes the top and bottom ...

 I notice that he isn't wearing safety glasses so I go and search for them in Brendas filing system ... check this out ... nothing is thrown away on this island there is always an alternate use for everything ... this is what her broken down fridges have become ...

what every fridge should have - tools and bits in it!
Not sure what we are doing tomorrow (Friday) maybe we might try the highest point.