Making the most of Bounty Bay
Use these notes to shape a realistic day ashore, then confirm any time-sensitive information for the date of your call.
Arriving at the port
Pitcairn’s geography means cruise passengers do not disembark: the small harbour is too difficult for tenders.
Islanders instead come aboard to stamp passports and sell souvenirs.
Bounty Bay is a Pacific Ocean embayment on Pitcairn Island.
The bay takes its name from the Bounty, the British naval vessel whose 18th-century mutiny was made immortal by the novel Mutiny on the Bounty and many later films. Many current Pitcairn Islanders are direct descendants of the mutineers, which is evident in some surnames.
- Bounty Bay contains the Bounty’s remains. The mutineers deliberately burned and sank the ship, and divers have since picked it over, but even the little that remains has an enduring allure as the vessel behind the true tale of “Captain Bligh” and “the Bounty”.
- The Bounty’s anchor stands in front of the Public Hall on the town square, where the library/post office building and Adventist church are also located.
- Adamstown’s new museum holds Bounty artefacts, including Fletcher Christian’s Bible, stamps, National Geographic issues featuring the islands and other local-interest items. One of the ship’s four cannons is intended for display there.
Food and shopping
Locally made handicrafts, guide books and beautiful Pitcairn stamps are sold by the islanders.
As most islanders belong to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, liquor is neither made nor consumed.
Money
The official currency is the New Zealand dollar, and U.S. dollars are accepted.
Staying connected
English is official, alongside Pitkern.
A seismological monitoring station has connected Pitcairn to satellite internet at 128kbps. Free wireless access is available throughout Adamstown.