Day 47 – Mutiny on the Bounty

Day 47 – Mutiny on the Bounty

PITCAIRN ISLAND SOUVENIRS

While not the same as Easter island, our visit to Pitcairn Island is generating a bit of buzz.  We are not going ashore, but we will get a visit from some local residents as we hover near the island.  They will come out to the ship with souvenirs consisting of woodcarvings, T-shirts, jewelry, and other items along with some Pitcairn honey.  Apparently, these items are in high demand on the ship and last year on the 2019 World Cruise people reported that the shopping on the Lido deck turned into a melee. 

I’m not sure what makes Pitcairn Island souvenirs so attractive, but I figured I would go up and take a look and see if there’s anything that caught my eye. 

A few days ago I checked eBay for Pitcairn souvenirs and didn’t find very much.  People were selling a few stamps but I couldn’t find anyone selling Pitcairn T-shirts, jewelry or anything else.  Maybe these items are in high demand and I should buy a lot and resell it on eBay myself later.  But I’m not sure if I want to get into the Pitcairn souvenir speculation business. 

LAND HO!

Early in the morning, I went up to Deck 6 forward, directly below the bridge to watch as we approached the island.  

The sun was already up and there was about 20 of us enjoying the view.  There wasn’t any ship’s photographer, nor anyone passing out Pitcairn rolls, juice or coffee.  I found out later that “Bounty Rolls” were available in the Atrium on Deck 3 and in the Crow’s Nest. 

PITCAIRN IMMIGRATION

A few days ago, the ship offered to have our passports stamped by the Pitcairn Immigration Officials for a fee of $10.  At first if we wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, we had to retrieve our passport from Guest Services, then wait in a line, pay the official $10, while our passport was stamped.  The ship wisely decided at the last moment to simply collect the $10 and charge it to our onboard account if we wanted the stamp.  Then the Pitcairn Immigration Official would simply stamp the passports in the Hudson room and no one would have to wait in line.  Afterwards we could pick up our passport at Guest Services if we wanted to take a look and see what the stamp looks like. Both Judy and I elected to pay the $10 and get the stamp.  We learned later that about 100 people purchased the Pitcairn passport stamp. 

VENDORS ARRIVE

A little before 8 AM the Pitcairn Islanders approach the Amsterdam via their motorized longboat.  They boarded via a rope ladder that is used by the harbor pilots.  We watched as they offloaded boxes of merchandise as well as some boxes containing fresh fruit, vegetables and seafood.  Apparently at some point over the next few days we’re going to have a meal with some food that was grown on Pitcairn Island. 

Once the islanders were on board, we spotted Capt. Jonathan, Hank and Christel, Kristin, the Revenue Manager, the Environmental Officer and the Photography Studio Manager climb down the rope ladder and board the Longboat for a trip over to the island.  

THE SALE BEGINS

Earlier in the morning I walked by the Lido Deck near the pool and observed all the tables that were set up for the Islanders to use to sell their merchandise.  Each table was marked with the name of the vendor. 

Shortly after their arrival, they began setting up and laying out all their merchandise for sale.  A small crowd gathered to see what was going to be available.  This was a good time to take some pictures and scout out what was going to be available on what tables. 

One of the most popular items is Pitcairn honey.  I’ve heard that on previous visits the honey sold out quickly to the first few passengers at those tables.  This year, a note in the Where and When informed us that there would be a limit of two jars of honey per person so everyone would have an opportunity to make a purchase. 

The sale was supposed to start at 9:30 AM, but it started closer to 8:30 AM since that’s when everyone was ready to go.  The shopping was crowded, but not close to what I would call a melee.  People flocked to the honey, expecting that it may run out.  I did see some still available for sale even after the crowds died down.  One interesting aside was that different vendors were selling the identical jar of honey for different prices only a few tables apart.  The honey comes in 250 g jars and sold for $10 at most tables, one vendor was selling the honey for $15.  I read some reviews online for the honey and they were mixed.  The selling point is that the bees are free from any pesticides or chemicals, so the claim is that the honey is the purest in the world. 

Before we arrived, I was a little blasé about the whole Pitcairn experience.  But I got caught up in the fever and pushed my way forward and bought two jars of honey.  I don’t particularly use honey, but I felt I had to buy some. 

We ended up buying a couple of T-shirts, a polo shirt, a Pitcairn Island map, a small vial of Pitcairn sand, some jewelry and soap.  For the most part, the vendors didn’t look any different from us, if you didn’t know better you might think they were passengers. 

We also bought some postcards, that came with Pitcairn stamps for three dollars each.  After we addressed them, they would be taken back to the island and mailed with a Pitcairn postmark.  The next mail ship is not scheduled to arrive until May so we will be back home before the postcards even leave the island. 

After about an hour, most of the shoppers had their fill and the crowds were much smaller, but there was still plenty of merchandise available. 

The vendors accept any major currency including Euros, US Dollars, Canadian dollars, Australian dollars, New Zealand dollars, and Japanese yen, but not credit cards.  They were all happy when Judy paid with exact change. 

PITCAIRN ISLAND LECTURE

Aside from the shopping, the other major activity this morning was the presentation by Melva Evans, a resident of Pitcairn.  Melva’s presentation was outstanding and the photographs she showed were very interesting.  We learned that half the island’s income is derived from selling souvenirs and honey to passing ships.  About 18 ships per year stop by the island.  They also get smaller ships, and expedition ships where people can disembark and tour the island.  It is possible to visit Pitcairn Island, or even move there as they are desperate for new residents.  Check out for more their website HERE for details. 

Melva’s presentation ended about 11:15 AM.  By then, the islanders were packed up and they all left the ship by 11:30 AM.  We watched them from our balcony as they climbed down the ladder to their Longboat, and then passed down cases of beer which they bought from the ship.  I didn’t see it, but I was told that they also purchased ice cream and other items that are otherwise unavailable on Pitcairn island. 

As the islanders sped off toward home, the ship sounded its whistle in salute before we continued our journey westbound towards Tahiti. 

THE POLYNESIAN LEI

Kainoa, one of the Polynesian Cultural Ambassadors, gave an interesting presentation about the history and meaning of the Polynesian Lei.

DINNER WITH THE BEATLES

Colleen and Jesse Kazemek, from “The Tribute to the Beatles” joined us for dinner this evening.  We had a wonderful time  sharing experiences about cruise ships and life in Los Angeles.

THE MAN THAT DOESN’T TALK REDUX

This evening Naki played music from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and other musicals and movies – including The Sting and Pink Panther.  As with the first show, Naki didn’t speak before or after the show, nor was there any indication in the program as to the nature of the show.  I recognized about half the songs he played but I didn’t detect any theme or common elements connecting the songs he played.  Grahame was outstanding on the drums and part way through the show, Tyler switched from the stand-up bass to a traditional electric bass. 

• NAKI ATAMAN