22 Mar 2021

Unforgettable Chatham Islands Welcome

A pod of Bottlenose Dolphins porpoise through Waitangi Harbour as our Zodiacs made their way to the Spirit of Enderby - an unforgettable welcome to the start of our Chatham Islands adventure.

Having arrived this morning clutching handwritten boarding passes from our turbo-prop Convair 580 flight from Christchurch, we were greeted on landing by our local guides Debs and Jane who usher us into tour buses Albatross and Hapuku as we bounce along the mostly dirt roads to Kopinga Marae. Designed in the shape of an Albatross, inside the marae Debs shares the Island's fascinating history from the arrival of Moriori, their beliefs and stories to Chatham Islands today in the presence of her ancestors, their names carved into wooden memorials at the marae's centre surrounded by traditional art and overlooking the ocean from the marae's prime position.

Back on board Albatross and Hapuku, we make our way to Manukau Farm to pay our respects at the Tommy Solomon memorial statue. Celebrating the last of the full-blooded Moriori, the statue was unvieled by then Prime Minister David Lange in 1986. Numerous iconic Chatham Island Forget-me-nots and fine examples of the Chatham Islands Flax are on display, while across the road birders are delighted to tick off both the endemic Chatham Island Shag and the smaller Pitt Island Shag at a local colony as a large New Zealand Fur Seal lazes disinterested on the rocks.

Bouncing our way back to Waitangi, it's time to board our trusty expedition vessel with guests eager to explore their new home for the next eight days.

Image (c) I.Wilson, Heritage Expeditions