Oh what a wonderful day this was. This is the island that Christian Fletcher and his troop of mutineers settled on with their Tahitian wives. It is such a sight to see as you come up upon it. We could not dock their but the islanders come out in a long boat and boarded the ship to sell their craft and wares. This picture was taken as I was on deck watching the islanders leave the island.
As they were on board, the ship circled the island twice. Unbelievable being here in this remote spot meeting and chatting with people who are direct descendants of Christian Fletcher.
An 85 year old islander who still carves beautiful wooden objects from local wood. I purchased a unique rolling pin not from him but from I’m sure relatives of his.
And of course I had to flirt a little with Pirate Pawl. I was drawn to his 20 to 30 ear rings. I asked him if I could take a picture of him and he immediately handed my camera to a friend and pulled me towards him. Oh my…please notice how I am pulling away from him.
And then there were the children. So adorable. This little 2 year old girl (Shannon) was being taken care of my her 13 year old brother (Ralph). She had a head of curls and the biggest brown eyes. Ralph is a smart boy who enjoyed answering my inquisitive questions about island life and how he and all his siblings are good ocean swimmers. His older brother told me about his girl friend from New Zealand. There are 5 children in their family and only 10 children on the island. Ralph was telling me that their are only 2 children on the island who are the same age and that is his younger brother and his cousin who are both 9. They are a kind and gentle people.
It was emotional for me watching them leave. They returned to their quiet, simple, peaceful lives as we continued our journey around the world. The differences in our life styles, experiences and values was very evident.
Saying Good-bye…all of us were yelling “Thank You” from the ship and from the water. The Captain later on announced how the ship had sent them home with boxes of chicken and bags of potatoes and ice cream for the kids.
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