Christmas Island - Republic of Kiribati

Christmas Island looking exactly the same as when Cook first discovered it on the 24th December 1777, and the sea really is that turquoise blue!


Arcadia's passengers were tendered in with a local Pilot advising our crew as we picked our way over the coral reefs.

Arriving at the Village of London! Christmas Island is quite cosmopolitan as it has other villages named Paris, Poland and Banana (the latter because it used to be a banana growing area).

The Christmas Islanders are very religious and there are several churches of differing denominations scatted over the Island.

The population of Christmas Island is growing and the children are educated in a variety of Infant, Junior and Secondary Schools.

The Island's roads are in good condition mainly because they were build to last by the Engineering Regiments of the British Army who were based here during the H Bomb Tests.

The is a commemorative stone at the entrance to the Captain Cook Hotel which was built on the site of the British Army Camp.

These are the Hotel Rooms. The Hotel is mainly used by fishermen tourists, where they go fishing for Bone Fish and other South sea varieties.

Our first glimpse of the wonderful white coral beach.

We Arcadians had the beach entirely to ourselves until a local resident came out to greet us!

Here he is - a Coral Crab. We tried everything to entice him to leave his shell home but he wasn't having it not even after us having travelled so far to visit him!

Some shade on a hot day on the beach.

Would you believe it ? The British had a Golf Course when they were on the Island which is now somewhat overgrown and unplayable.

These are the official stores owned and operated by the Government.

The Christmas Islanders came out to greet us in their traditional costumes. To their credit they sang and danced from the moment we set foot on the Island to the time the last passenger left.

A last lingering look as we leave.............................

Would you believe it as Captain Ian Walters said 'we have sailed across an empty Pacific Ocean only to encounter a parking issue at Christmas Island'! However he did park it as close to the Island as he could! - see below!!!!!

This was a unique opportunity to spend a day on an Island in the middle of the Pacific that still remains commercially unspoiled. The people were warm and welcoming.

Best wishes meantime.

James.

Oh! What a snug little Island, a right little, tight little Island!

Thomas Dibdin 1771 - 1841 - born just before the Island was discovered.