Guide to Chatham Islands

The Chatham Islands (Rekohu in the indigenous Moriori language and Wharekauri in Māori) are the eastern-most settled islands in New Zealand. The islands lie 860 km east of Christchurch, in the middle of the "Roaring Forties". Steeped in culture and history, these islands are at the edge of civilisation.

The Chatham Islands consist of the main island, Chatham Island, with a population of 600, the smaller Pitt Island with about 40 inhabitants, and a number of rocky outcrops. Volcanic in origin, they form a unique and sensitive habitat that supports many rare and endangered species, especially birds, making it an interesting destination for birdwatching and for seeing flora that you won't encounter in the wild anywhere else in the world.

The Chatham Islands have been described as being like mainland New Zealand was 30-40 years ago. This is a positive reflection on the way the locals take an interest in each other and in visitors to the islands, perhaps no surprise given the size and remoteness of the Chatham Islands. The archipelago is home to three cultures: Moriori, Maori and Pakeha (European). There are attractions related to each of these, from rock carvings to fishing harbours.

Lying far out in the ocean, the islands are in their own time zone, 45 minutes ahead of New Zealand Time; the International Date Line zigzags eastward to place them on the same calendar day as the rest of New Zealand.

Climate

Source:Wikipedia

The Chatham Islands are at about the same latitude as Christchurch, but the weather is significantly cooler in summer and does not get as cold in winter. The air is always humid, with an average humidity of 84%.

Infrastructure

Electricity on the Chatham Islands comes from a mix of diesel generators and wind turbines. Power is considerably more expensive than on mainland New Zealand.

There is a small primary school on Pitt Island and two small primary schools on Chatham Island. The largest is at Te One, with 52 students, and this has a community swimming pool. Most children go away to a secondary boarding school.

Local government is run by the Chatham Islands Council, with a few things run from Canterbury. The MP for the Rongotai electorate (which covers southern and eastern Wellington City, including Wellington Airport) represents the islands in Parliament.

History

The original people of the islands are the Moriori, who first arrived around 1500. They are descended from the Maori of mainland New Zealand, but developed their own culture and variant of the language. Some 19th century writers had mistakenly thought that they came directly from Polynesia. The Moriori had a pacifist culture and are known for their carvings of rocks and trees.

The first recorded European visit to the islands was by HMS Chatham in 1791, when the islands were claimed for Britain and named after the ship. Pitt Island was later named after William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham.

In 1835 Maori settlers from the mainland arrived, and massacred and enslaved the Moriori, who remained enslaved until the 1860s. German settlers arrived in 1865, after a failed attempt in the 1840s.

By plane

The only way for visitors to get to the Chathams is by scheduled or chartered air service to Tuuta Airport. Air Chathams fly 4 days a week (6 days a week in summer), from either Christchurch, Auckland (weekly on Th, 2hr 15min, $385 one way) or Wellington (1 hr 30 min, from $385 one way) (May 2018). The plane is based in the Chathams and flies to mainland New Zealand in the morning, then back to the Chathams in the afternoon. As the Chathams are part of New Zealand, there are no passport or visa requirements and no border controls on arrival from the mainland.

You should arrange accommodation before you fly to the Chathams, as during the popular months of the tourism season (October to April) accommodation can be severely limited. There are no same-day return flights, so you have to stay at least one night.

Although flying there and back is not cheap, it is worth it. Even the mainland school groups that fly there for school camps and stay at Kopinga Marae get value for money by chartering a flight one way. Anyway, you don't have a choice on how you get there, unless you happen to own an aeroplane.

If you haven't organised land transport for your arrival you will have to walk, and it's a long way into town.

By boat

There are freight shipping services to the Chatham Islands, but no passenger service.

Vessels can call at the Chathams and there are a number of safe harbours for shelter. Remember to notify the local policeman, or Ministry of Fisheries officer, if you are entering New Zealand via the Chathams. If you want a wharf berthage, then call the local harbour master as you approach the Chathams.

There is no bus or taxi service. You can probably arrange for your accommodation provider to pick you up at the airport.

There are several businesses on Chatham Island that will rent you a vehicle. Do not expect the flashiest and latest, although they will be warranted and safe.

• Pitt Island is accessible by air from Chatham Island. See its listing in the See section below for details. It may also be possible to arrange a trip by boat – ask locally.

Scenery ranges from sandy beaches to swampland, lakes and rivers to ocean vistas, and from the cliffs to the hills. The landscape is made up of fern, pasture and forest.

Situated far from other land, the Chathams have several animal and plant species found in the wild nowhere else in the world, and some of the world's most rare and endangered birds, plants and insects.

There are 388 plant species, of which 47 are endemic, and the islands make up its own floristic province within the Antarctic Floristic Kingdom. Myosotidium hortensia (Chatham Islands forget-me-not), Olearea traversiorum (Chatham Island tree daisy), Astelia chathamica (Chatham Islands kakaha) and rautini (Chatham Island Christmas tree) are some examples.

You can see many different seabird species here, many of which are threatened. Particularly rare birds are the Magenta petrel (the world's rarest seabird), the Chatham albatross, breeding only on the tiny islet of The Pyramid south of Pitt Island, and the shore plover. Other endemic birds are the black robin, Chatham oystercatcher, Chatham gerygone, Chatham pigeon, Chatham parakeet, Chatham snipe, Chatham shag and Pitt shag.

Marine mammals you can see on the beaches and in the waters around the islands are sea lions and different species of seals and whales.

Natural attractions

Flora and fauna

Culture

There are three cultures on the Chathams islands: Moriori, Maori and Chatham Islands culture. Kopinga Marae is the base for Te Imi Moriori and is adorned with carvings and artworks from contemporary Moriori artists. The revival of Moriori culture and language is facilitated from there. Maori have a marae (ceremonial meeting place) and the local iwi (tribe), Ngati Mutunga o Wharekauri, have an office building here. Maori culture is very strong on the Chathams. The Chathams culture is a blend of all three ethnicities and has been shaped by the environment, the lifestyle, the contributions from each group.

Exhibitions

Ports and fishing

There is plenty to do on the Chatham Islands, and the islands have some of the most spectacular scenery in New Zealand. There are rugged coastlines with towering cliffs, boulder strewn beaches and wide sandy expansive beaches that visitors can walk or beach-comb on. Find a 40-million-year-old shark tooth, thankfully without a shark attached to it. Most of the time you will have the beach to yourself.

Other activities include fishing, hunting (pig hunting is a popular pastime) and watching or participating in farming. There is also a multitude of reserves on the islands, listed below, which are great for bushwalking. If you are into rare plants and birds, then this is the place for you.

Pitt Island

Do you like crayfish (lobster), paua (abalone) or fish? Well you're coming to the right place, because there's lots of it and it's all fresh and tasty. Weka are a protected species elsewhere in New Zealand, but are sufficiently common that you might see them on the menu here.

If you prefer to be self-catered, there are two shops on the island that sell groceries:

You need to arrange accommodation before you arrive. The plane is based in the Chathams and flies to mainland New Zealand in the morning, then back to the Chathams in the afternoon. So if you get off the plane and find all the accommodation is full, you're stuck for the night. Most of the accommodation gets booked out during the summer months, so be sure to book.

Chatham Island

Pitt Island

• As of 2023, 4G mobile phone service was added, with good coverage over much of the island.
• Wi-Fi is available from Hotel Chathams (for a fee) and at the airport (for free). It is however quite slow since it relies on a satellite uplink.
• Radio Weka broadcasts at 92.1 MHz FM, with a mixture of local volunteer content and relays of Radio New Zealand. New Zealand television is also broadcast.

Unless you have your own vessel, you won't go directly from here, but you may be interested in visiting other islands:

• Stewart Island
• Great Barrier Island