In much of the rest of the South Pacific, you have to search hard to find something open on Sunday, if anything is open at all. Here on Pitcairn, however, Sunday is one of the busiest days on the island. The post office, treasury, souvenir shop, museum, and general store are all open early. I made sure I was awake early so I could stock up on stuff from a once-in-a-lifetime destination. I’m sending more postcards than usual (I did the same in North Korea). The post office is very small.
Despite there being more ships calling in, mail still takes several weeks to reach its destination. Eight postcards I had laid out and I wrote them out diligently. Jim Hanley, my former geography instructor (I've mentioned him many times) will be one of the recipients of these highly sought after postcards. Mr. Hanley and I have now known each other for nearly 25 years! The small but engaging Pitcairn museum is where I visited next, though I had to swap some NZ dollars for the US$5 entry fee. The must-see sight there is the Bounty bible, beneath its enclosed glass.
Some speculate it’s not the real bible but a copy in its place. There’s an impressive collection of Pitcairn stamps as well.
Philately has, historically, been a major revenue source on Pitcairn but these days stamp collecting is a dying art. Before quad bikes, the islanders used wheelbarrows to move stuff around, and there’s an old example at the museum.
Afterward I went to the souvenir shop and bought two different Pitcairn cookbooks. Money is a confusing issue here on Pitcairn; it’s a British colony yet the New Zealand dollar is the official currency and many tourist goods and services are paid for with US dollars. For example, purchases at the general store and post office are in NZ dollars, though at the souvenir shop they’re in US dollars. The fare for the MV Silver Supporter was in NZ dollars yet the landing fee and accommodation costs are in US dollars. Since all meals are included in the price I didn't need much from the general store other than a bottle of wine and a bag of chips.
The MV Silver Supporter left for Mangareva today, meaning I’m stuck on Pitcairn with no way out until Thursday when the ship returns. There’s something special about being on an island like this with no way out. The entire island gathers at the landing to see everyone off, so I did as the locals do and went to the landing.
All of my shipmates decided only to stay four days on Pitcairn, so I saw all of them off. The weather was so brilliant yesterday but it turned foul today; I didn’t even bother flying Juliett or going for any major walks. Today I had a good chat with Pawl and Sue at the Whale’s Tooth. Many people don’t even know about Pitcairn but those who do are only aware of the sex abuse scandal of 2004. Pawl and Sue actually met during that time when Sue worked as a prison officer. All of the men convicted took child safety courses and all of them except one have since cleaned up their act. When I told one ignorant person in Queenstown that I was going to Pitcairn said “make sure the locals don’t fiddle with you.” Never once have I been concerned or unsafe around anybody; this has been a fantastic journey. Pitcairn is an absolute must for the truly intrepid traveller. People tend to judge a place only by what they hear on CNN and Fox News; everyone was paranoid before I went to North Korea and Ethiopia. It felt good to have a thought out conversation regarding that with some locals. Due to the small population there's a risk of offence but all was good.
As usual, Wayne picked me up on a the quad bike to take me to Char's home for dinner. She made (after a request the other day, thank you Char) roast lamb with pumpkin, potato, and mint sauce. One of my favourites! The only meats produced locally are fish, chicken, and goat; everything else is imported frozen.
Through four days this has been a very enjoyable journey. My only complaint is the mosquitoes but all I can do is wear "Pitcairn perfume" (mozzie spray) as locals call it. There are no lakes or any major bodies of fresh water so the number of mozzies really surprises me. The power is turned off at 10 PM but the wifi and a couple of lights remain on using 12-volt electricity. Let's see if the rain subsides because I may go to St. Paul's Pool tomorrow if the weather is lovely. Good night Pitcairn Island.
