Finally I woke up refreshed after a good sleep, for the first time in about five days. Everyone else on the ship is only staying on Pitcairn for four days but I have the gift of time with 11 days. That meant I didn’t want to do too much in one day yesterday. Tedside, on the western end of the island, and Mrs. T, the island’s famous Galapagos tortoise, were on my radar for today. I also wanted to get Juliett into the air for the first time on Pitcairn. The DJI Go app wasn’t working yesterday so I had to uninstall and then reinstall it. With a simple breakfast of cereal and coffee, I made a couple of sandwiches and then gave Char a call, asking the current general location of Mrs. T. She said last she knew she was near where her bees are kept and that it’d be best if Wayne gave me a lift there. Wayne is originally from ‘Atiu in the Cook Islands but has lived on Pitcairn for many years. Due to the steep terrain, Pitcairners rarely walk; quad bikes are the primary transport. Wayne would pick me up on his quad bike and, like a beam of light, would take me straight to Mrs. T. On approach, she'll hiss at you but she's very used to visitors.
Looking like a cross between a wise old grandmother and a prehistoric creature, Mrs. T was brought here from the Galapagos Islands with four other giant tortoises between 1937 and 1951. For years she was known as Mr. Turpin but later shortened to Mr. T, until a visiting zoologist determined it was a female, so she's now Mrs. T. She was young when she was brought to Pitcairn and is estimated to be around 80 years old. Giant tortoises have one of the longest average lifespans of any terrestrial animal. She could easily live another 100 years, meaning she'll very likely outlive me. As a wild creature, Mrs. T can roam practically anywhere on the island, including vegetable gardens (much to the dismay of locals). Some unfortunate visitors have been unable to find Mrs. T so I was lucky to see her straight away. Her favourite food is bananas but she knows to avoid the green ones so I had to make sure the fruit I brought was ripe enough. Though she's extremely gentle I had to be careful not to get a finger taken off as she gobbled the banana with the peel.
Her face gets messy after a dozen bananas or so...
Years ago when I started my postcard project I asked Meralda if she could send me a postcard with Mrs. T on it. After my first visit with Mrs. T I went for a walk to Tedside. It was warm and humid today and the walk to Tedside is all downhill, meaning it was uphill on the way back. Distances on Pitcairn aren't great but it can take longer than you'd think to walk anywhere. Water and sunscreen are crucial, and Wayne has even suggested asking Char to borrow a handheld VHF radio in case I get lost or run into any problems. For the first time I soared Juliett into the air above Pitcairn Island. I can soar her far enough way to get the entire island in a photo.
Tedside is where you can see the paved section on the left and is the alternate landing if the seas are too rough at Bounty Bay. Juliett is at 500 metres although I flew her from sea level, so I can only imagine what the photos will be like when I soar her from Highest Point in the coming days.
I couldn't help but visit Mrs. T again on my return from Tedside. One visit with Mrs. T is in the books, with many more to come during my time on Pitcairn. I'll just have to be sure to bring some bananas every time, otherwise she'll hiss at me.
