Travelling to the ends of the earth
When the world locked down, what did the Pitcairn islanders do? They walked. Andrea Vance reports.
While people searched for alternatives to stay fit and healthy in Covid-19 self-isolation, Pitcairn islanders were inspired to start their own fitness regime.
But walking, or running, on the five-square-kilometre outcrop which is barely four kilometres long, is difficult. There is less than one kilometre of steep, paved road – the rest are unsealed tracks, sticky with red, clay mud.
So, the Pitkerners dusted off the island’s only treadmill, and embarked on a ‘‘virtual’’ 800km walkathon to all the islands in the Pitcairn group.
Their aim was to raise $5000 to buy more gym equipment for the island. Over the first 11 days, Sue O’Keefe, Fran Smith and Jo McIntosh took turns to complete the 128km to coral atoll Oeno.
As their fitness increased, they managed the 168km to Henderson Island. Then earlier this month, the women decided to try for a marathon. In just over seven hours, the group – helped by 11 other islanders – sweated to complete the 42.2km hike.
The final push will be a 470km march – the distance to Ducie, Pitcairn’s furthest outlying island.
‘‘It can be difficult to exercise here during inclement weather as the roads get extremely slippery and can lead to falls causing injury,’’ O’Keefe said. ‘‘Some of the elderly, and younger people as well, are very reluctant to walk in such conditions.
‘‘Also the terrain isn’t the best for those of us who have joint problems. Walking on the treadmill doesn’t put painful strain on my joints and has actually helped with my mobility.’’
The fundraiser boosted morale in the tiny community of close to 50. The island has remained free of the infection, but travel restrictions halted a vital stream of income for the islanders from tourism and cruise ships.
O’Keefe, a New Zealander who lives on the island with partner Pawl Warren, said: ‘‘The knockon effect financially from the decrease in tourism numbers was one of the major reasons for deciding to do a fundraiser, as a lot of exercise equipment is beyond the discretionary budget for not only people here but everywhere. We could help here so we did.’’
Pitcairn is almost 6000km from the nearest continent, and is one of the world’s most isolated communities. There is no airstrip and ships can’t moor. Visitors must be brought to shore in one of the island’s longboats.
A cargo ship from New Zealand
calls around four times a year, bringing supplies. Instead of calling in Pape’ete and Mangareva, in French Polynesia, it comes directly from Tauranga, a journey of about two weeks.
Charlene Warren-Peu, the island’s mayor, said Pitcairn was ‘‘OK’’ after closing the doors to visitors. Residents and contractors are still allowed to travel.
‘‘We don’t have Covid-19 on Pitcairn, our remoteness enabled us to quickly control our borders and we’ve suspended our passenger services until further notice.
‘‘We’re not totally isolated given that our ship is still running... Our quarterly supplies are still being delivered. We’re reviewing the situation on a monthly basis and ... we’re accustomed to dealing with isolation.’’
Warren-Peu said the island’s size and rugged contours make a marathon tough to organise.
‘‘It was never going to be straightforward. I think doing the whole thing on a treadmill with a bunch of enthusiastic people was a great idea... their idea of raising funds to purchase gym equipment for community use is really worthwhile.’’
Mutineers from the HMS Bounty, led by Fletcher Christian, settled on the island after setting William Bligh, their captain adrift off Tahiti and stealing the ship. The island group is Britain’s sole overseas territory in the Pacific and is administrated from Auckland.
British High Commissioner to New Zealand, Laura Clarke said it was fortunate the island remained Covid-19-free, but it has increased Pitcairn’s isolation and had an economic impact. As a result, the UK has increased the money it spends on the island to provide services.
‘‘Isolation can also be a strength, and the community took wise decisions, early on, to prevent visitors from cruise ships. That’s quite hard for them to deal with – because the Pitkerners love having visitors and tourists – and it’s also had an economic impact. So we have increased UK budgetary support to recognise that, and of course continue to support them through these difficult times.’’