Day 6 on Pitcairn (Monday 26 August)

This morning I tried to make bread (white bread) and it didn't quite work out I used too much water for the type of flour!
Neil and I decided to try to go for a swim at St Pauls Pool which is the eastern most point of the island.  We were warned that if the sea around it is rough not to swim.  So it is a gentle climb up to ships landing and then down down down to St Pauls.  Along the way we see the track to 'down rope' which Brenda says we will do some day when she is free - we are not to attempt this track without a guide.

So we continue down the track and get a spectacular view of the edge of St Pauls

We watch and can see that the sea around it is very rough which means that the ocean is coming in and over the rocks filling up the swimming pool ... it is looking less and less likely that we are going for a swim which is a pity as it is warm at the moment!
We get to an area where we can see that there was a landslide maybe a year or 2 ago.  Eventually we get to the stairs that take us down to the pool.

Climbing down the stairs you can hear the roar of the sea ...

at the base of the stairs we climb down a few rocks so we can see the entire pool.  Our spot is above where the water rushes out of the pool back into the ocean ...

The water is absolutely pouring out and most definitely we don't go for a swim as we would be swept out to sea!  Basically the water pours in from the right of where we sit and comes crashing through a gap and over the rocks and then escapes through this opening.  Below are 3 photos that depict the movement of water ... the movie(s) are better to watch!

we were sitting there watching the water crash over the rocks and it became a little eery sitting there so I decided to move and lay down on my stomach ... my reasoning was that should an absolutely freakish wave get to us and sweep us of the rocks I am less likey to be swept off while lying down compared to sitting up!  Unlike 'albie mangle' down below ...

check out that plumbers crack!
After a while we decide to make our way back ... you can see that the area is not as furtile as the land around the township and most definitely the landslip discourages you from building a house up here despite the view ...

We walk back and it is all up up and up! I am beginning to feel like a mountain goat!  We stop and have a look at Ships Landing

where you get a great view of the island and all its' houses ...

up at Ships Landing there is a survey marker ...

We get back to have lunch and we just finish when Lea Ann and Uschi turn up saying that Dad has had an accident and that he has slipped over at The Landing (where the Long Boats are launched) and has dislocated his right shoulder ... so we go down and get Mum and go see Dad who is in the medical center (the island has a Doctor).
He looks okay and is awake but has to stay there for another hour

So to kill time we take Mum to go a visiting.
He is fine and wants to take the ship back home.  Brenda will chat to the Captain on Thursday as the Claymore is back on the island on Thursday with the passenger run.
After lunch Lea Ann and Brenda went out fishing with Len, Shaun, Dave and Randy and between the six of them over a few hours they catch around 180 odd fish!
So dinner tonight was Nanwei, Brenda and Len cooked it on their bbq ...

Tomorrow is Down Rope!

Day 5 on Pitcairn (Sunday 25 August)

Day 5 of surviving Pitcairn!  After yesterdays massive hike back from Teds side we were beginning to feel the effects of 3 days of walking.  We have nearly covered most of the island just 2 walks that involve climbing so we are waiting until Brenda is free and also for a suitable day when the rocks are not wet.  We also have to walk to the highest point and then I think we have walked nearly all roads around the island ... eventually we will walk all the small roads around the township itself when we go a visiting to everyones house either looking for curios to buy or to buy some fruit and vege or to just go in and introduce ourselves!

Basically we know what they all are going to say to us in their Pitcairn language ... "when yous gonna move 'ere"!

So today is when a freight ship is arriving, it is just passing from South America enroute to Auckland and then to Australia.  So there was a move to get bananas, paw paw and veges yesterday and previously fishing was done so they can take out one of the long boats to trade with the ship.  The ship had previously let them know they were coming.  We didn't go out in the long boat, I would have like to, but the problem is that once you get to the frieght ship you have to time it with the swell and cling and catch the ladder rope and climb up from the long boat up the ship ... if you chicken out when you get there well too bad you have to stay in the long boat which is for at least 6 hours!  so being a novice we declined to go.  Which was ideal to catch up on everything.  The shop did open this morning for an hour so there was a mad rush to get supplies ... Neil decides he will go and have a nosey and comes back with this ...

a bottle of Seagers gin ... $7 NZ ... yes you are reading right.  There is no tax here on anything so when they purchase from NZ they don't pay all the excessive taxes that are involved with alcohol and smokes so they are very cheap!

Meanwhile I am baking in the kitchen.  Kerry gave us some very ripe bananas so I decide to make some cakes and puddings ...

about mid morning we see the ship come in approaching from the east ...

on board this ship are brand new luxury pleasure boats - 25 on top and 25 in the hold.  Who says we are having a GFC!

 After lunch we to for a wonder around the island as Brenda has gone out to the ship so we just decide to take a lay about day. 
Neil and I went down to the landing where the long boats are stored, only one went out today so the other one should be there ...

 

Turi and his nieces and nephew are there fishing for 'nah way' which is the islands favourite fish to eat, I must admit they aren't bad ... developing a liking for fresh fish .. had red snapper the other night and it was devine ... Lea Ann and Dad have gone fishing this morning so hoping they catch some fish

Just on from the landing is a little track that we decide to explore ... it takes you just below ships landing point

and also to the area where the remains of the bounty wreck is ...



While scrambling along the track something that is always happening to us ... actually more to Neil than me occurs ...

I should have realised that there is no where in this world we can go without Neil finding 'road kill'

he has taken it back to the chalet so see if he can inflate it and then use it as a decoration at the chalet!

so we spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing.

I thought since we didn't do much today that I would tell you about the shower system in each house ... as you probably guessed all water is rain/tank water so the shower is heated by what they call a 'copper' system whereby the water is heated by a fire.  Each house has a water pump that pumps water from (usually) a concrete water tank up to at small water tank on a high frame. 

a pipe then runs down to a small shed that contains a concrete fire box ...

they copper pot must be in the inside and the fire is lit below ...

 I lit this fire and I am getting use to incorporating this into our daily lives ... we don't have it going all day, we just light it about 1 hour before we want our shower.  You can have a larger fire so that the water can last through the night so you can have hot water for brekky in the morning.
I forgot to mention that you have probably noticed that Neil has shaved his beard ... why?  because when he first got to the island everyone thought he was my dad Phil ... he was a little offended that they thought he was old enough to be Phil who is 70! 





Day 4 on Pitcairn (Saturday 24 August)

Woo hoo we wake to a very fine and sunny day and are hoping like hell that it stays that way.  Our washing is drying so we do more today and the wind is blowing hard so it will dry.
After brekky I head down to Brendas to see what is planned – last night we decided to go down to Len Browns the islands oldest man and he is also a master carver.  On my way down I come across Emily, Lea Ann and Uschi with 2 kids (baby goats – or the island way ‘gots’)

So I decide to pat them and they are cute and cuddly

Kouta I hope you are jealous!  Now Emily is somewhat a 'Goat Whisperer' she is forever tracking down wild goats, catching them and putting them in her ''goat pen" - she has 14 and this number is growing.  This girl is 9 years old I think and is incredibly agile so is perfect for catching goats!

Once everyone is organised there is a mass exodus to Lens – Brenda is on her bike to take the kids to Sabbath School

And Lea Ann takes Uschi down

While the rest of us decide to walk down

At Lens I take a look at his work shop

Now Len does some beautiful carvings of the bounty (and I forgot to take a photo of him with one!) and some superb walking sticks with bird heads and dolphins as the handles, as well as fish with real sharks teeth, turtles and platters.  So we all buy our little curios, exhausted we take a break and have watermelon and the kids start raiding the guava tree (they are the larger yellow ones with a pink inside)

so I start raiding the mandarin tree, Neil starts scrounging for coc’nut and Uschi raids the passionfruit trees next thing we know the bikes are laden with all our stuff!

After lunch we decide that we will go pay Ms T a visit who is the islands Galapogas Tortise.  But first Brenda drops Neil and I along with Bradley and Ryan of at the ridge so we can walk down to Teds side.  I would like to remind everyone that this island is incredibly hilly so by the end of the day we were thankful that Brenda did drop us of at the ridge rather than try to walk there and then all the way back!
Making our way down the loooooong hill I turn back and realise that we will have to get back up it!

Somewhere up there is the top, these kids have so much energy and are running all over the place

Nearly down the bottom we spot Ms T

She is just resting there and we try to look for some ripe bananas to feed her.  Generally she hangs out in this area in the banana plantation (public) so Me and the boys start trapsing through the bush amongst the trees and banana trees looking but there is none so I keep heading down and think that crikey here I am going blindly down this hill in the bush and I don’t have to worry about poisonous snakes I can step anywhere as there is nothing to worry about!

I find the road again and we head down to Teds side which is where they catch the crabs for bait in the rocks

Brenda shows us where the site for the new harbour is to be – basically there is a natural harbour and there is money to reinforce it, create a road to and from it, concrete any area etc all so that cruise ships might stop by more often and that the passengers can come ashore.

We then go back to Ms T and Brenda has found some ripe bananas

We try to feed her but she either is just not hungry or is too scared to pop her head out

Around 3pm Neil, Sharon, Bradley and I decide to walk back so up the loooooong hill with a gradient anywhere from 15-25% … it took us 30 mins to walk down and 40 mins to walk up.

Relieved to get to the top we are rewarded with a lovely view of Adamstown

We decide not to continue up to the highest point – we will leave that for another day.

On our way back with pass the new location of the crusher which has been moved for the eventuality building the new harbour.

Dinner tonight was at Steve and Olives – pork, yam, broccoli, coleslaw, Olives famous fish balls wrapped in lettuce, chicken in coconut milk oh lovely and then Guava Sponge and icecream for dessert.

Day 3 on Pitcairn (Friday 23 August)

Well it is day 3 here on the island and last night we had dinner down at Brendas and it just poured down with rain and the wind was blowing so when it came time to head home to the chalet Brenda had to get out her quad bike and take Lea Ann and Uschi up and then come back for Neil and I!  Crikey in the short 100m or so we got saturated in the legs and face and I couldn’t see a thing as there aren’t any street lights this far up the island only on the main road and about 50m either side of that.
So we woke after a very stormy night to a cloud shrouded island … couldn’t see the top of the island at all for most of the day.
After brekky we decided that we would go for a short walk up to Flatland to see Nadine (who is married to my cousin Randy and they have 5 of the 8 children on the island!).  So Neil, Sharon and I head out and within 25m the boots are laden with red mud …

It isn’t raining but the road is very slippery and wet so we have to pick our way along.  We meet up with Brenda, Dad and Lea Ann – Dad is getting very ‘ancy’ as this is the 2^nd day with dangerous fishing conditions so he can’t go out and fish and he is itching, so Brenda decides to take them to Tedside to get some bait – crab

On our way up to Nadines and Randys we come across a Permillo tree which is a cross between a grapefruit and orange

Also around the island are numerous types of banana trees and everyone grows their own supplies as well as public land ones

So after having a coffee up at Nadines we head back home it stops raining and while waiting at Brendas the kids are there (only 4 of them) and they are waiting for Brenda to get home and the first thing they ask her is if they can go for a ‘swim’ … you are not going to believe where their definition of a swim is today …

Left to right are Bradley (12), Adrianna (6), Emily (9) and Issabel (3or4).  They all strip down to their underwear and basically wallow in the big puddle outside Brendas house, I do make a feeble attempt to participate with them but only get this far …

Now aren’t these just faces showing shear joy …

Still not content with just wallowing they decide to make the small down hill in the drive into a smooth slide so they can slip down the slide and into the puddle … who need x-box when you have a puddle!

Ph 11

Eventually it gets too cold for them so it is shower time … but first a pre wash

So while they are all in the shower I head back and find out that the spindly trees in front of the chalet are actually arrowroot trees,

Brenda cuts the roots, mills it and does a process of washing to get the sediment and then lays it out to dry … or something along those lines.  Arrowroot is like cornflour but the island makes a dry biscuit called (funnily enough) arrowroot biscuit and it is just grated coconut (or the island way coc’nut) and arrowroot and water … simply delicious.

Later on Neil and I go back down for dinner – shepards pie and only 3 of the kids are there … all cleaned up!