Seabourne - Salter's travels

I have found shocking new proof that Jesus smoked spliff

Samoa is another island country. This time just four islands, two of which are uninhabited. 200,000 people live on the other islands. We arrived at the capital and largest city of Apia at the north of Upolu Island. We docked at a place that was called the cruise terminal. However, it looked just like any working cargo port to me. No facilities for passengers but a lot of containers piled up all around the place.

As is the way, we were loaded into a variety of local buses and sent off on a tour. My first concern was as to how our driver could see where he was going. The windscreen was plastered in little mirrors, numerous silhouettes of curvaceous women, brightly coloured fluffy material and a variety of certificates and notices. To see the road, he needed to squint through the remaining, small gaps. I hoped that his utterly enormous bright green gear stick helped in some way.

First stop was the cathedral. We got there without hitting anything. The church was a moderately simple wooden building. Smartly painted in white and blue. Adorned with many intricate stained-glass windows. I was impressed by one design in particular. There, sat amongst the disciples was a Samoan. You could tell he was Samoan from the traditional tattoos. He was looking very relaxed. Laid back, eyes partially closed. Very comfortable. He holds a fan to keep cool and is smoking a big, fat doobie. This explains much that is conventionally considered supernatural. Photograph from Susan. Thank you.

Then we got dropped off at the vegetable market and told we had an hour. It was a little over 30°C and extremely humid. Not the ideal conditions for spending an hour looking at vegetables but we gave it a go. Because of variations in altitude, the farmers can cultivate a broad range of tropical and subtropical crops. Many of these were on offer in the market. Taro used to be a major source of income for Samoa. A fungal blight devastated the plants in 1993. From a peak of 50%, taro now accounts for less than 1% of export revenue. The roots can be roasted or boiled. Other tables were laden with coconuts, papaya, avocado and citrus fruits. There were bananas still growing upwards from their stalks and prickly skinned soursop. This has an aromatic pulp used to make healthy juices, smoothies and ice cream.

It took about half an hour before the heat and humidity combined with the excitement of raw vegetables was getting to be too much for us. Back at the small, grubby bus we found most of the other members of our group taking advantage of the air conditioning. It was not especially cool in the bus but it was better than sitting outside. Since everyone had come back early, we left early to head up to the museum.

This was the Robert Louis Stevenson museum. After writing Kidnapped and Treasure Island he came here at the end of the 19th century for his lung health. It did not work and a few years later, at just 44 years old, he dropped dead in his purpose-built smoking room. We were shown around a replica of his bed, his wife’s bed, his mother’s bed and somebody else’s bed. We were also shown the only two fireplaces in Samoa. At 30°C it was easy to understand why fireplaces are not really needed. Quite possibly, neither of these have ever been lit but they do provide an nice, homely feel for a family originating in Scotland.

Round the back of the museum a seating area had been set up so that we could watch a cultural presentation. This started with a guided description of the tattoos on the back and legs of a large local lad. Then came the music and the dancing which involved a lot of shouting. The details were all meticulously recorded by a veritable army of phone wielding tourists.

Back at the ship, we had a few hours before departure, so we went snorkelling. It was only a few minutes’ walk to a small beach. We were charged $5 each to enter one of the smallest, least impressive beach areas I have ever visited. I have not visited many beaches. There may well be many worse. Diane opted out of getting into the water. The approach was steep and rocky. Great scope for minor injury or worse. I carefully picked my way down to the water and played with the new camera for half an hour. There were quite a few fish around and after much searching I manged to find some coral.

We were comfortably back on board before the ship sailed. A tug escorted us out. I doubt the Seabourne Pursuit, our ship, needs a tug. However, I imagine that port rules need to be followed and the tug probably needs the money. As the sun began setting, Samoa receded into the distance and Tonga was calling.

Ruminating on the irrational fear of coconuts while in a country of islands

The Cook Islands are a group of 15 islands, population 15,000, forming an island country. The country is self-governing while in free association with New Zealand. This means that New Zealand acts on their behalf in foreign affairs and defence issues but only when requested by the Cook Islands government and with their advice and consent. Cook Islands has no armed forces but the Police Service owns a patrol boat provided by Australia. The government is a unitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy. King Charles III is their monarch but I don’t imagine he has much say in island affairs. Maybe just pops in occasionally for a cheap holiday.

The economy is based on tourism. They advertise the country as an affordable, exotic South Pacific archipelago with no crowds. No building is taller than a coconut tree. There are no high-rise hotels, traffic-lights or stop signs. Just unspoiled natural beauty; lagoons ringed by stunning coral reefs teaming with life, isolated beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, caves, unique bird life, and so much more.

We anchored outside the reef at Aitutaki Island. Diane and I went ashore by zodiac and had a short walk. It was hot. A bit too hot for me. We wandered up the road for half an hour and then took refuge from the sun at a table by the beach. The road was not particularly interesting. There were a few small shops and houses. All widely spaced with well kept gardens. Many of the gardens contained graves. Some of which were quite elaborate. I imagined children being told to go out and play by their great-grandparents. The beach was much more interesting. There were some birds fishing along the shore. Little crabs were running around. They rushed to hide down holes in the sand if you went anywhere near them. We went back along the sand under the shade from coconut palms. Carefully, of course, to avoid danger from falling coconuts.

A full-sized coconut weighs about 1.5 kg. If one fell on your head, it would probably hurt. Following a 1984 study on “Injuries Due to Falling Coconuts by Dr. Peter Barss “, exaggerated claims spread concerning the number of fatalities by falling coconuts. By the early 2000s, the urban legend of death by coconut had grown to 200+ fatalities per year. Barss was awarded an Ig Noble Award for his work. A press release from Club Travel, a UK-based travel insurance company, selling travel insurance for Papua New Guinea, stated that coconuts were “ten times more dangerous than sharks”. The truth is that occasionally, rarely more than once a year, people do get killed by coconuts. Sometimes it is their own fault. In Pennsylvania, a man died while trying to crack open a coconut with the butt end of a loaded revolver. The gun discharged and he got shot in the abdomen.

We arrived back at the docks unscathed. In the afternoon was a snorkelling trip. I grabbed my new camera, Diane grabbed a blue pool noodle and we were good to go. After transferring to a local boat, we were taken out into a large lagoon. Here we made a brief landing on Honeymoon Island to admire the white sand. Looked nice but was made of broken coral so it was sharp and unpleasant to touch. A short way offshore we went snorkelling off the boat.

This time my photographic efforts were a little more productive. There was plenty to photograph. Big lumps of coral reef interspersed with giant clams on the seabed. The clams look amazing and often have intricate patterns on the mantle parts. Giant clams are bi-valve filter-feeders. However much of their nutritional needs are supplied by zooxanthellae. These are photosynthetic single-celled organisms that live in symbiosis with the clam. Around the edge of the mantle are primitive eyes. The clams can weigh over 200 kg and live for more than 100 years.

I also spent a lot of time looking at fish. Small fish all around the reef. Some are actually eating the reef. Some eat other fish. Some eat parasites off other fish. Some eat algae. The reef is a whole complex ecosystem. The fish come in all shapes and sizes. Some are quite shy and hide in the reef. Others are very bold and in your face. I am trying to learn the names of some of these fish but it is a steep learning curve. All too soon we were back in the boat. I usually wear shorts and a t-shirt for snorkelling. By the time we were back on board, half an hour later, my clothes were completely dry.

Nasty black pearl secrets and why real vanilla is so expensive

Raʻiātea is the second largest of the Society Islands, after Tahiti, in French Polynesia. We arrived there early in the morning and tied up along side a large quay. After breakfast everyone came out to mill around on the dockside for a while before we were herded into groups. Our flock was shepherded round the corner to a small, local boat. Our new captain introduced himself and then sang to us while he guided the boat to a medium sized island. Then we got into some 4×4 vehicles and were taken to a black pearl farm.

They showed us how they make the pearls. Take a mature, black-lipped oyster and kill it to remove some of the mantle tissue. Take a freshwater scallop from the Mississippi, kill it and send it to Japan. They will reduce it to small, round, smooth beads which get sent to Tahiti. Take another local, black-lipped oyster but try not to kill this one. Instead, prise it open a little bit. Make a cut into its sex-gland and insert the bead from Japan along with the tissue from the donor oyster. The nacre that the gland secretes will cover the nucleus and form the pearl. Takes about two years during which time the oyster lives in an underwater rack. Finally, you can kill the oyster and retrieve the pearl. Inspect the pearl and hope it is a good one. This is Tahiti’s $10m black pearl business. Seems a cruel and unnecessary vanity to me however the number of people worldwide that will pay handsomely to decorate their necks with oyster gonad growths is enormous.

Next came a vanilla pod plantation. This was far more pleasant. The pods come from a type of orchid which grows as a vine. Measured by weight, vanilla is the world’s second-most expensive spice after saffron. Growing vanilla seed pods is particularly labour-intensive. At this plantation, the vines were grown up small trees. Each flower must be pollinated by hand. This can only be done in the early hours of the morning when the flowers open for about an hour. The plantation is carefully controlled for moisture, nutrients and pests. Other types of trees and a lot of manual labour are used to create the correct balance.

Artificial vanilla products contain vanillin. This is produced synthetically from lignin, a natural polymer found in wood. Synthetic vanillin is a byproduct from the pulp used in papermaking. The lignin is broken down using sulphates. Vanillin is only one of 171 identified aromatic components of real vanilla fruits and a poor substitute for the genuine thing. Diane voluntarily tested the veracity of this statement by eating a pot of genuine vanilla ice cream.

The tour went on. We were driven up to a viewpoint and fed some fresh fruit. On the way we saw avocado trees, various citrus trees, mango, papaya, the ubiquitous coconut palms and many other plants. It rains a lot here. Most days apparently. And it is hot. Pushing 30°C most days. The plant growth is lush and verdant. Our captain magically reappeared at the top of the hill. He whipped out his small guitar and proceeded to teach everyone to dance. Fortunately, for me, this did not last too long. Then we were off back to the coast and his small boat.

Last part of the trip was some snorkelling. This was particularly exciting because I had a new toy, the underwater camera, to play with. We were taken out close to the edge of the reef by a small island. On the island was a bit of a resort with deck chairs and a bar. However, we did not go there. We simply stopped several hundreds of metres away and got in the water. Thirty minutes later I had taken a lot of photographs and encountered a Tahitian stingray. I know little about rays but I did spot a long tail with a spike which I suspected, correctly, was venomous. I gave it a wide berth. Later I looked through my photographs and was a bit disappointed. I was not despondent though. There was bound to be a learning process.

Eventually, we were back on the ship and sailing away. The sunset was gorgeous. Gorgeous but quick. This close to the equator, once you notice the sun beginning to set, there are only minutes before it has actually set and darkness falls. I grabbed some pictures of the beach and vegetation in the golden light. Another cruise ship, the Star Breeze, passed us on the way to occupy our recently vacated berth. We were on our way to the Cook Islands.

Breadfruit, a new camera and the end of a leg

Papeete, on the island of Tahiti, is the capital of French Polynesia, a group of 121 islands and atolls spread over an immense area of the South Pacific. Technically, French Polynesia is an overseas collectivity of the French Republic – whatever that means. French Polynesia is associated with the European Union as an overseas country and territory despite being over 16,000 km from mainland Europe – what that means is that the locals here are EU citizens, can vote in EU elections and have freedom of movement across the EU.

Papeete marked the end of the first leg of this voyage. Around two thirds of the guests left the ship this morning. They will be replaced by a similar number this evening. Meanwhile, those of us staying on board were getting in the way so they shepherded us into coaches and sent us on various trips around the island. Our first stop was a small museum dedicated to the American author, James Norman Hall. He co-wrote a trilogy of historical novels about the Mutiny on the Bounty. I imagine that our popular view of the mutiny comes from these stories and the subsequent three films. For me, the museum was remarkably boring. I found I had little interest in the eighty-year-old desk of an author I had never heard of before. Outside was a breadfruit tree. We were assured that it was directly related to those that Bligh was carrying on the Bounty. For me, it was interesting to see exactly what a breadfruit looks like.

Next stop were some black sands where part of the 1962 Mutiny on the Bounty film was made with Marlon Brando. Then we went for lunch. Lunch was served at nice restaurant that was literally on the other side of the island. An hour and a half drive in a coach. The drive was moderately interesting. Our guide managed to talk continuously throughout the entire trip. Sorry to say, I fell asleep.

After lunch, a salad, we set off back around the south side of the island. This was just as exciting as the north side but before I had properly settled down, we stopped at the Vaipahi water gardens. Small but pretty. Nice little waterfall and a collection of exotic tropical plants. I did not recognise any of them but I did take a few photographs. There were a few chickens running around which I photographed as well.

Last stop was a very modern museum just outside Papeete. Most of the exhibits are wood. Canoes, drums, statues and pieces of unrecognisable driftwood. All lovingly displayed and labelled. The display room was nicely air conditioned and comfortable. It amused me to see some very serious and intellectual people standing around a lump of driftwood. Even better was an early carving of Groot. However, my favourite piece was a large iron container that looked to be the perfect comic book representation of a cannibal’s cooking pot.

Two cannibals eating a clown. One says to the other “Does this taste funny to you”

We got dropped off just before the cruise terminal so that I could go a buy a camera. There was just 30 minutes for this mission. If we dallied, we would miss the ship. Fortunately, I had researched the camera and the shop. There was only one left because they were in great demand that week. At least, that is what the shop keeper explained as he overcharged me for it. No time to argue or even discuss the extras he wanted to sell me. We made the ship with ten minutes to spare and now I had an underwater camera to play with.

Back on the ship, we had a lot of new people to deal with. As the ship prepared to leave, there was a little party on the back deck. Drinks and some live music. We stood around for a while and completely failed to talk to anyone, never mind the newcomers. The sun set so went for dinner.

Three atolls and The World

Two more sea days and we have arrived in French Polynesia. Our route, past Easter Island and Pitcairn, has taken us through the centre of the South Pacific Gyre. This is a system of currents rotating between South America and Australia with a large, static area in the centre. The lack of currents here makes the ocean relatively unproductive. Sometimes described as an oceanic desert. What we experienced was clear blue seas but no bird life and no whales. The ship’s crew have been putting on a variety of games and events to keep us happy. The latest of these was the “Teddy Tumble” or, as I thought of it, teddy tossing. An hour before our arrival at the first atoll many of the passengers were to be found at the top of the main staircase. Five floors below was a small bucket. The objective was to drop a teddy bear from the top into the bucket. Each passenger was given three bears. I think two bears actually made it into the bucket.

Back in the real world, we took on board at pilot just outside Katui, our entry point to French Polynesia. Nobody went ashore here but some officials came aboard to stamp a few passports. After many days at sea, the area seemed alarmingly crowded. There were two more cruise ships, a plethora of yachts, an airport and many buildings. The World caught my attention. This is a cruise ship but it is run like a condominium. It contains 165 cabins which can be purchased outright. The residents live onboard as the ship travels. Some choose to live onboard full-time while others visit periodically. They all have a say in where the ship goes. It has traversed the Northwest passage. In 2017 it broke the world record for being the southernmost ship at the Bay of Whales. The same place that our ship, the Douglas Mawson, pushed the record even further in March. https://salter.blog/2026/03/02/bay-of-whales/

Paperwork done, we left in the evening to anchor off Tahanea Atoll, an uninhabited chain of islands. Next morning was zodiac cruising. This was fun and pleasant in the warm early morning sunshine. We saw some Black Tipped Reef Sharks. Quite small animals. Usually, a lot less than 2 m. As our friend Bruce explained, these are not dangerous unless you pull their tail or try to cuddle them. There were a few birds around but they seemed quite shy and mostly kept their distance.

In the afternoon we went snorkelling. No photographs of this. I am planning to get a waterproof camera because the sights along the reef are amazing. Many brightly coloured fish, giant clams and the occasional shark. Only about the fourth time Diane has been snorkelling ever but she is really getting the hang of it now.

Next day we moved up to Anaa where a small community lives. We were all invited to a cultural presentation. First, however, we got up early for some more snorkelling. There is no stopping Diane now. Warm water. Masses of brightly coloured fish. Interesting coral. Small sharks. Great way to start the day.

A shower and a change of clothes later we arrived at the presentation. They gave us cold, green coconuts to drink. This is terrific stuff. Tasty and not too sweet. We wandered around the place a little. There was some music and dancing girls. There was a demonstration of how to prepare a mature coconut. Coconuts are everything here. They are used for eating, building, decorating and many other things. No part of the plant is wasted. We were served some local foods. To my surprise this was not all fish. I mean, there was quite a lot of fish but there was also savoury coconut fritters, breadfruit fritters, a savoury cake made from coconut milk, some sweets and other things. It was all very tasty. If asked, I will usually say that I don’t like coconut. There is a coconut taste, the flavour you get in a Bounty bar, which I am really not bothered about. But this coconut was lovely. A much more delicate and interesting taste.

Coconuts all finished, we headed back to the ship at lunchtime. The anchor was pulled up and we set sail for Tahiti.

A rare visit to the world’s smallest democracy

In 1787 the HMS Bounty sailed from London on a mission to collect and transport breadfruit plants from Tahiti to the West Indies. They stayed in Tahiti for five months. Many of the men lived ashore and took wives. Shortly after resumption of the voyage, Captain Bligh became increasingly harsh with the crew. Eventually they mutinied and put Bligh and eighteen loyalists adrift in the ship’s open launch. Bligh managed to get back to England in 1790 and set about tracking down the mutineers. The Admiralty despatched HMS Pandora which apprehended fourteen of the mutineers in Tahiti. The ship went aground with the loss of 31 hands including four mutineers. The ten surviving detainees reached England in June 1792 to be court-martialled. Four were acquitted, three were pardoned and three were hanged.

Meanwhile, Fletcher Christian, the leader of the mutineers had kidnapped several Tahitian women and sailed from Tahiti, along with eight other mutineers in the Bounty. They eventually found Pitcairn at the start of 1790. It was difficult because although the island was known, its position was very inaccurate. They chose to settle on this hidden island. The ship was stripped and then set ablaze. An event which is still celebrated every 23^rd Jan using a wooden model that is burned by the shore.

Christian’s group remained undiscovered on Pitcairn until 1808, by which time only one mutineer, John Adams, remained alive. His fellow mutineers, including Christian, were dead. Killed either by one another or by their Polynesian companions. No action was taken against Adams. His grave can still be seen on the island. Today’s Pitcairn Islanders are descended primarily from nine British HMS Bounty mutineers and twelve Tahitian women. In 2023, the territory had a permanent population of 35, making it the smallest territory in the world by number of permanent residents.

A dozen cruise ships call at Pitcairn each year. Very few of them attempt a landing. The approach through the swell is gnarly in all but ideal conditions and they do not occur very often. We were exceptionally lucky. Very little swell and a gentle breeze. Almost perfect. Many people managed to get ashore. We set off quite early with Philip and Susan for a walk. There was an organised trek up to the highest point of the island. We did not fancy being part of a big, organised group so we slipped off on our own.

After a bouncy Zodiac run into the quay, we were faced by the “hill of difficulty”. A steep, iconic, paved incline of roughly 70 meters (about 0.5 km long) that leads from Bounty Bay up to the main settlement of Adamstown. This was hard work. I was quite sweaty by the top.

First stop was a small store selling souvenirs. Diane was attracted to the honey. I got chatting to a local who showed me the avocadoes growing over the road. This was very cool. I have wanted to see avocadoes growing on the tree for a long time. Next came the museum. Here a very friendly American gave us his life story and I took a photograph of a canon in a plastic box.

We walked up to the highest point of the island. 347 m of steep track. Technically quite straightforward but strenuous in the hot, humid weather. The Pitcairn Islands are a British overseas territory with a degree of local government. Traditionally, Pitcairners consider that their islands officially became a British colony on 30 November 1838. The islands of Henderson, Oeno and Ducie (the atoll of two days ago) were annexed by Britain in 1902. Panting and sweating our way up a steep track through dense jungle vegetation did not feel particularly British. Eventually we reached the top. Rather thoughtfully, someone had already been up on a quad bike and left some chilly drinking water.

We had a pleasant break taking in the views, taking photographs and rehydrating. A rainy squall had us running for cover and then we set off back down. This was a lot easier although we got rained on a couple more times. Diane had to swap her boots for sandals part way down but we made it back intact. The villagers had set up a little stall right next to the old anchor from the Bounty. They were selling milk shakes and scones. Ideal post-hike recovery food.

We took a leisurely stroll back through the small village. Diane collected some honey. Pitcairn is famous for its honey. Out here, in the middle of the pacific, there is no air pollution and plenty of flowers. This makes for happy bees and tasty honey. Back down the hill of difficulty, which seemed even steeper in descent. Then another bouncy zodiac ride back to the ship.

A remote, deserted island in shark infested seas

Two more sea days and we arrived at Ducie Island. Imagine the archetypal deserted island. Small and sandy with a single palm tree. Sharks circle the island. Ducie Island does not have a palm tree but otherwise there is a strong similarity. It is an uninhabited atoll in the Pitcairn Islands group. A couple of kilometres across and roughly circular. A large atoll fills the centre. The only land is a thin, horseshoe shaped strip. Despite its sparse vegetation, the atoll is known as the breeding ground of a number of bird species. More than 90% of the world population of Murphys Petrel nests on Ducie. Sharks and other dangerous sea creatures encircle it.

We only had time for a half day visit. A landing was out of the question. A couple of young, fit, expendable members of the expedition team did go ashore to investigate a small boat that had been washed up there. However, trying to get over a hundred geriatrics ashore would have taken all day and been a little pointless. There was not a lot to see. Zodiac cruising was fine. We were in the second group to go out. I whiled away the time photographing some boobies.

Just as they were about to call time on the first group, the rain arrived. Nasty little deluge. Everyone got soaked. We put our waterproofs on. Set off in the rain and got too hot. You cannot win. Fortunately, the sun came out. We bobbed around for a while and I managed to photograph a few birds. Diane saw a shark.

Eventually, we were all done and back on board. As the ship turned to leave, a catamaran yacht came around the atoll. The strangely named “six & half” was heading for New Zealand. They were not in a hurry. Estimated arrival of the small family is about a year from now. Next stop for us is Pitcairn Island, home of the mutineers.

Easter on a remote island with 1,000 Moai

Easter Island is remote. Really remote. You might think that Cleethorpes is a long way away but that is just peanuts compared to Easter Island. From Robinson Crusoe Island, it took us four days sailing to get here. Six days in total from the Chilean mainland. You could fly, from Santiago, 3,500 km, in 5 hours. The island has a population of 5,000 and a surprisingly big runway. It is roughly triangular, 25 km long and half as wide. The closest inhabited neighbour is Pitcairn Island (pop 50), 1,931 km to the west.

Rapa Nui, as the island is also known, is famous for its monolithic human statues called Moai. Polynesians, from islands further west, arrived here in 1,200 AD and created an industrious and successful settlement. They carved enormous Moai, cleared the land, grew crops and kept chickens. When the first Europeans arrived, in 1722, the population was around 2,500 but the ecology was under serious stress. Most of the trees had gone. Soil erosion was becoming a problem. Many endemic species of flora had been made extinct. The Polynesian Rat was firmly established and causing widespread damage. Cannibalism was a widespread practice.

As is usually the story, the arrival of Europeans did not help the locals very much. Diseases, slave raiding expeditions and emigration to other islands such as Tahiti severely depleted the population. Whaling expeditions introduced tuberculosis. Slaving was made illegal and a handful of islanders were repatriated. Unfortunately, they brought smallpox with them. By 1877 the entire population was just over 100. By this time, many of the statues has been toppled although it is not entirely clear why. Clan warfare may have been part of the reason, as might a tsunami.

In 1888 the islands were annexed by Chile and things started to improve. A little. In 1903 the island was bought by the English sheep-farming company Williamson Balfor. The locals were no longer able to farm for food and were forced to work on the ranches in order to buy food. In 1953 the company’s contract was cancelled and administration of the island handed over to the Chilean Navy. In 1966 the island was properly re-opened, and the Rapanui were given Chilean citizenship. At the same time, the airport was built and the Americans came. Between 1965 and 1970, the United States Air Force (USAF) settled on Easter Island, radically changing the way of life of the Rapanui. They became acquainted with the customs of the consumer societies of the developed world and then began to embrace tourism.

The tuff quarry where all the Moai come from

We dropped anchor in the bay off Hanga Roa, the main town. Technically it was a few days after Easter but I liked to think that we were visiting Easter Island at Easter. Zodiacs ferried us ashore and then we were herded, sheep like, into small busses. First stop was a replica village where I nearly fell asleep. The high light was a stone chicken house. Next stop was the quarry where the Moai were carved. This was a bit more interesting and chance to stretch my legs. Approximately 1,000 Moai were made and they were all carved from the volcanic Tuff in this quarry. Tuff is essentially compressed ash. It is quite soft, for a rock. Easy to carve but not exceptionally durable. Most of the Moai look a bit past their best these days. Walking around the quarry it is possible to spot Moai in most stages of construction. So far, I have not found a good explanation as to why the Rapanui stopped carving the statues. What I like to imagine is that, after several hundreds of years of banging out statues, they finally realised it was not working. Nothing happened. There was no divine protection. The mana did not flow. They simply did not function. It was just an awful lot of arduous work. The stone masons discussed this for a while then downed their tools and went off to find a religion that worked a bit better.

We went to see some Moai that had been restored and erected on the coast. Most Moai look inland. They are supposed to be keeping an eye on things. They do look quite nice. I prefer the ones without eyes – gives them a sense of being a bit haughty. There is considerable discussion about how they were moved. Some of the statues weight in at over 50 tons. One idea is that they were rocked while upright while being pulled at the same time. This makes them walk forward. It is an interesting idea but would leave great scope for accidentally pulling one over. We got dropped off in town where we found a nice café for empanadas, chips and some wine.

Next day, we were off in the minibuses again. This time we went to a place where the birdman competition was held. First job was to say hello to our guides grandmother. She was selling souvenirs off a little table just outside the ticket office.

The guide explained about the birdmen. Turns out my stone mason hypothesis was not too far off the mark. As the island became overpopulated and resources diminished, warriors known as Matatoa gained more power and the Ancestor Cult ended, making way for the Bird Man Cult. The concept of mana (power) invested in hereditary leaders was recast into the person of the birdman, apparently beginning circa 1540, and coinciding with the final vestiges of the moai period. This cult maintained that, although the ancestors still provided for their descendants, the medium through which the living could contact the dead was no longer statues but human beings chosen through a competition. The competition began, where we were standing, on top of a substantial cliff. Candidates needed to climb down the cliff, swim to island, collect a particular type of bird’s egg, swim back and reclimb the cliff. First one back got to be the new chief with all the pleasures, honours and responsibilities that were included.

Looking inland from the birdman cliff is a deep circular caldera. The volcanoes here are long since extinct. The caldera is now just a big lake. Nonetheless, it is still an interesting and impressive feature. We wandered around a couple of viewpoints and then went off to look at some more Moai on the coast. From there it was back into town. This time we found pizza and beer. A stroll back to the harbour, a short zodiac trip and we were done with Easter Island. Next stop Pitcairn. But not for a few days because Easter Island is really remote.

Discovering Man Friday and spotting a booby

Our second day at the Juan Fernández archipelago was all about zodiac cruising. There are few landing spots anywhere in the islands. We began to the north of Cumberland Bay. It was still early in the morning. Not at all cold but the orange sun was still low in the sky.

There is a cave visible here that, apparently, was where Alexander Selkirk spent the first few weeks after he was marooned. Later, he moved further inland because the density of fur seals on the beach made the ocean completely inaccessible. He mostly lived on goats rather than fish. The goats had been left on the islands much earlier by the very first European explorers. It was common practise, back then, to leave goats, sheep, chickens or similar in remote places. The hope was that they would survive and be of benefit to ship wrecked sailors. This clearly worked well on Robinson Crusoe Island but only up to a point. Although the introduced animals did well, it was to the detriment of the overall island ecology.

Back on the ship I photographed a giant petrel and a masked booby. After lunch, the ship moved down to Santa Clara Island. Meanwhile, I discovered that Selkirk was not the first person to be marooned on Robinson Crusoe Island. 24 years earlier, a Miskito pirate from Mosquitia (now Honduras) called Will was happily hunting goats on the island. He had been landed off an English vessel to gather supplies. He did not notice the Spanish ships approaching and was probably quite surprised when he saw his own ship scarpering over the horizon to escape the Spaniards.

He survived on the island for three years. At times he needed to hide from the Spanish who came ashore for goats and water. Eventually, in 1684, he was rescued by the English. Later, possibly, his story was the inspiration for Man Friday in Defoe’s famous novel.

The zodiacs were back in the water at Santa Clara. The island is uninhabited. There is no permanent fresh water supply. Many birds nest there including several endangered species. The whole area is internationally recognised as an important bird area. Much of the coastline is steep, treacherous looking cliffs. Despite the uninviting aspect, there are many seals here. More Juan Fernández fur seals. In places, we could spot some deep, inaccessible caves. Possibly a handful of seals hid deep in these cavities to evade the hunters. Now they are back out, breeding well and happily frolicking in the surf.

Santa Clara is a volcanic island. The whole Juan Fernández Archipelago was erupted from a hot spot under the Pacific floor. Tectonic movement has advanced the islands beyond the hot spot now. The volcanoes are all dead but much interesting geology still remains. Santa Clara is clearly built from layer upon layer of ash and lava deposits. On one particular cliff face, these layers are cut through by dykes. Formed when magma forces its way through vertical fractures, dykes often solidify underground and appear as narrow, wall-like ridges after erosion. This particular cliff was cut by a myriad of dykes that, from a distance, look like tree roots.

After an hour of looking at seals we were done. The zodiacs were hauled back onboard. Most people settled down for lunch. The skipper meanwhile set a course for Easter Island, four days of steaming through open ocean away.

An endangered endemic bird, the most famous castaway and an unexploded shell

The Juan Fernández archipelago consists of three main islands called: Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and Santa Clara. Robinson Crusoe island has a population of 800 and mostly relies on fishing and tourism. As you may have guessed from the name, it used to have a population of just one. Scottish privateer and Royal Navy officer Alexander Selkirk was marooned here for over four years. He asked to be put ashore in 1704 after a disagreement with his captain over the state of the ship. Selkirk thought the vessel was unseaworthy. A valid sentiment as the ship sank not long afterwards. After his rescue, Selkirk’s story became well known in Britain and was almost certainly a significant part of the inspiration for Daniel Defoe’s story, The Life and Surprising Adventures of Robinson Crusoe, published in 1719.

Diane and I went for a walk. There were a couple of organised hikes but we preferred to wander off at our own pace. We went through a forested area behind the main town and I photographed a lovely little orange hummingbird. Later, I discovered that the Juan Fernández Firecrown is endemic to the island, critically endangered and exceedingly rare. The archipelago is very isolated and much of the flora there is endemic. Knowing this, I took some pictures of a few flowers. I have no idea whether these are endemic, rare or in any other way interesting – but I did think they looked quite nice.

Making our way back into town, we found a lovely restaurant with a view and had some coffee. From here we could contemplate the vista, contemplate the town and contemplate our ship anchored out in the bay. Sitting there in the warm sunshine enjoying the coffee was an excellent way to pass a few minutes.

We walked to the north end of town. Here there is a nice viewing platform ideal for watching seals. The Juan Fernández fur seals are endemic and numerous. One of the smaller types of fur seal and very cute. Later, a guide explained to me that the seals had almost died off. Now, with their protected status, they were doing well. It was a great success story. Another way to look at this is that they were almost hunted to extinction. A handful of seals survived by hiding in the caves until people finally decided to leave them alone. It was a fortunate survival story in the face of mans greed and cruelty. All a matter of perspective.

Behind the viewing platform, there is a shell stuck in the rock wall. This is a live shell, apparently, from the Battle of Más a Tierra. The German cruiser, SMS Dresden, was hunted down by the British HMS Kent and HMS Glasgow in 1915 and sunk just a few metres from the shore. When we wandered back towards the pier, we spotted a small gun turret. There was no indication as to whether this had anything to do with the battle. Reminded me of an early form of Dalek.

We spotted a few more hummingbirds. Exceedingly small and fast. Difficult to photograph but amazing to watch. I think the green birds are the females. We found a statue of Robinson Crusoe and a welcome sign. Then we went to the pirate party. This was billed some sort of cultural get-together involving pisco, empanadas and local music. Sounded promising. We were served a pisco sour that was quite nice. Then we found there was nothing for us to eat. It was all fish, octopus and other dead things dragged out of the ocean. The music was proving to be a bit harsh on the ears so we skipped the rest of the party and headed back to the ship.

Our zodiac driver made a ten minute detour to the seal colony just past the south end of town. This was great to see and gave me another chance to photograph the animals playing around.