Pitcairn Island Silver Supporter
N.B. The latest news (January 2023) is that service has returned to Pitcairn Island that allows foreign visitors to book round trips that permit only a 4-day stay on the island where for about two years only Pitcairn Islanders and Government contract workers were allowed to arrive on the supply ship. The posted dates are irregular, and a booking over to the island guarantees a return journey. The website lists travel agencies that arrange the complete visit.
With its official status as a British Overseas Territory, the UK government subsidies the regular shipping service on specific dates from the port of Mangareva, French Polynesia, (connecting with Air Tahiti flights from Papeete, Tahiti) to Pitcairn Island. The Gibraltar-registered cargo-passenger ship SILVER SUPPORTER carries 12 passengers in snug double cabins with portholes.
Under normal conditions, the passage takes two nights and a day (about 32 hours), and disembarkation at Pitcairn Island is into a long boat. Arriving at the Botany Bay landing, it is then a steep cliff by twisting road up to Adamstown where houses dot the wooded hillside passage.
Pitcairn Island in the South Pacific is the home of the descendants of the HMS Bounty’s mutiny.
The gorgeous remote Pitcairn Island. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
The volcanic island’s rugged tropical beauty is home to a population that numbers just 50. Measuring just two miles (3.2 km) by one mile (1.6 km), the island is the centerpiece to the world’s largest marine reserve. Its clear waters are home to species that have yet to be all identified.
Note: The present supply ship, Silver Supporter, replaced the Claymore II in 2019. Go straight to the island website for more info. visitpitcairn.pn
Now you know how far away you are. * Photo: Pitcairn Island Tourism
Ship & Year Delivered
SILVER SUPPORTER (built 1998 & 12 passengers in cabins) had a previous career as a Norwegian supply ship and was converted into a passenger-carrying cargo ship with the completion in February 2019. The ship is 1,109 GT and sails at 10 knots.
Silver Supporter carries 12 passengers and a crew of five. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
Passenger Decks
There are three decks and no elevator.
Passenger Profile
SILVER SUPPORTER carries local islanders leaving and returning home, service providers, and well-heeled adventurers who wish to visit one of the most remote places on earth. The ship’s five-member crew hails from New Zealand.
Price
$$$ Very pricey
Itineraries
The ship sails from Mangareva to Pitcairn on posted if irregular dates, so an island stopover is timed for the return voyage four days later. The length of the stopovers used to be four, 11 or 18 days. If “Supply Ship” appears in the schedule, that is available only to Pitcairn Island residents and families who receive special rates.
Additional visitors arrive at Pitcairn by private yacht and aboard the occasional cruise ship. N.B. Cruise ships are not now stopping at Pitcairn Island.
Staying Ashore on Pitcairn
The time on the island, while the ship is anchored and handling the cargo, is be four days then the ship returns. Longer visits are not yet being offered. Daily home-stay accommodations range from USD $70 to $150 and include three meals.
Payment is in cash in USD (there are ATM machines and currency exchange at the Government Treasury Office).
There are 12 registered accommodation providers that range from offering private rooms and meals shared with the family, semi-private chalets with optional shared meals, and private bungalows with meals taken separately. Food is available at the general store, a government operation in Adamstown. Apply for accommodations on the website at the bottom of this review.
Included Features
On board SILVER SUPPORTER, all meals, non-alcoholic drinks and snacks (alcohol is BYO); plus transfers to and from home stay accommodations on Pitcairn.
Why Go?
To visit one of the most remote places on the globe and make first-hand contact with direct descendants from the HMS Bounty who landed here in January 1790. The original population comprised 9 male British mutineers under the command of Fletcher Christian and 18 male and female Polynesians. In the 1930s, the population peaked at 233, and it has since dropped below 50. The island encourages immigration as you will discover on the website.
Pitcairn Island is a very special place. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
On the island, activities include self-guided walks through the tropical paradise with maps provided, quad bike tours, visiting the Pitcairn Museum, fishing in longboats, diving to the two shipwrecks (Bounty and Cornwallis), visiting three nearby uninhabited islands, swimming, tennis and shopping for island curios.
The island is increasingly dependent on tourism, though numbers are presently very low compared to other South Pacific islands.
When to Go?
The climate on Pitcairn is tropical and rain falls year-round; the driest month is August and the wettest June. It is best to avoid June and perhaps the few weeks either side. The roads and tracks turn to mud.
Cabins
Six private cabins with have twin berths, en suite facilities and small windows or portholes, plus a small sitting/office area.
Twin-bed cabin with a small window and en suite facilities. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
A cabin’s lounge area. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
Public Rooms
There are two lounges, one with a 49″ LED TV with USB + DVD Players.
Silver Supporter’s newly refitted lounge. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
Dining
Enjoy locally-sourced fish and vegetables and from overseas (often New Zealand). Food could be described as South Seas — continental and New Zealand served buffet style at fixed hours. Breakfast 7:30am; Lunch 11:30am; Dinner 5:30pm. Snacks and soft drinks available at all times.
Dining area with service buffet style. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
Activities & Entertainment
Reading, watching films, socializing and relaxing.
Special Notes
No visa is required if staying on Pitcairn less than 15 days.
You need *XPF 1000 French Pacific Francs (about USD $10.50) to pay for the transfer from the Mangareva airport(Gambier Islands French Polynesia) to the ship and then $50 USD for a landing fee on Pitcairn. Medical insurance is mandatory, including an evacuation clause, with proof when finalizing the booking. The island currency is the NZ $.
*XPF is the currency code for “French Pacific Francs,” or CFP (which originally stood for Colonies Françaises du Pacifique or “French colonies of the Pacific”), the currency used by the four French overseas collectivities that include French Polynesia, New Caledonia, Wallis, and Futuna.
Along the Same Lines
Now that St. Helena in the South Atlantic is linked by air, one would have to search hard to find a comparable multi-night ship to a remote island of any interest. The South Pacific would be the place to start.
The Pitcairn Islands group comprises Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands. Here is gorgeous Henderson island, a UNESCO World Heritage site. * Photo: Pitcairn Islands Tourism
Contact
For more info, go to Pitcairn Islands Tourism.
— TWS
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