Honolulu to Christmas Island (Rep. of Kiribati)

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(Just about caught up on my blog!) anyway.... So in December 2011, I and my 4 future co-workers arrived on Christmas Island (Kiritimati, but pronounced Kiritsmasts) in the Republic of Kiribati (but pronounced Kiri-bas) Confused? I was --so easier just to say Christmas Island! Even many locals call it that. Its a unique Atoll, very dry and almost savana like interior, except for many miles of lagoon and shallows on the perimeter-and many miles of deserted and often very rugged beaches-this is not the idealic 'south seas' island people would imagine. Not to say it isnt pretty-it has its gems, far off the yachtie and cruise circuit-this is truly a place to escape. The 'capitol' is the tiny dusty town of London, the only other town is Poland, 2 hours down the road. Used for atomic testing in the 50s, Christmas never truly overcame that and became a tourist destination. Water is another problem, rain is scarce-when we were there they had not had significant rain in a year! Its a subsistance economy, no millionaire yachts or beach houses.all the more reason to come here! People here dont have much, With one govt run hotel, 'Capt Cooks' and another fly fishing 'resort' ; accomodation is limited, but comfortable enough. The local people are friendly and I enjoyed driving from one end of Christmas to the other, mostly on one lane dirt roads. or simply tracks through salt pans and small stands of palms. In 6 hours only saw one car, and unfortunately it was the same one that hit us! no harm done, a few dents and scrapes, and off we went, and so did they-such is life here. Fly fishing is the main tourist draw, several world records here, and crowded fishing spots dont exist. A week went by and off we went, glad for our stay on Christmas and the nice people we met while there. We left by fishing cruiser the not so originaly named 'Nautilus' to Palmyra, following the Line Islands chain to my next 'home' for 3 months........next-Palmyra Atoll

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Photos

london shopping
in the island 'capitol' of London, buying trinkets and batteries in the local store.

out the window
arriving at Christmas island, my window seat reveals a much larger island than I imagined.

the wednesday plane
the once a week flight from hawaii-our crew arrives on christmas island.

the one and only -Cpt Cooks
once a british base, now a hotel, the only large one on the island. nice enough but basic.

outrigger
outrigger arrives with my boss, just off the beach with our documents, shortly before we depart for palmyra atoll.

locals
local kids on the wharf, fishing and hanging out.

highway zero
the main road through the facinating interior runs for many miles, not another car to be seen the whole time-pretty cool!

desert isle
tiny Capt Cook island, seabird reserve and fun surf, no crowds---in fact we were the only ones there!

from the pier
looking east, the amazing blue off Christmas Island

home brew
the sign says it all--cept they were 'out' of beer that day-maybe next time?

Sooty Tern
some of the noisiest birds Ive ever been around, day and night they dont stop.

lagoon of paradise...
this is what you think of when you think about seeing the south pacific, walking out at low tide, even more amazing in natural 3D!

church window
not sure what happened but this is all that remains of a former church, right on the beach, very cool!

Tennesee school?
this school built by US Navy Seabees. many schools here seem to have been built with foriegn assistance.

roadside map
a weird shaped atoll, Christmas island is the largest of the Line Islands and the largest in the island nation of Kiribas.

Not in the tourism brochure
Not my pic, off the internet-thanks to the person that took this- this is what Chrismas island was known for. Like Bikini Atoll, nuke tests were done here, by the Uk and the US, the SE end of the atoll blasted here, although most test were over the ocean.

Poland church
this church in 'Poland' the last town on the islands main road, is the pride of the community, so typical of the pacific islands

surfs up..
yep, there is surf on christmas island, no crowds but getting to it can be a problem...

island crew
waiting for the boat -on the pier. last day on the island, ready for the 350 mile cruise to Palmyra Atoll

ornithology 101
checking the pelagic seabirds on the nesting reserve of Capt cook island, our guide keepimg watch and keeping us informed. unfortunately i dont remeber his name but he was very knowlegable and friendly.

Nautilus
on the horizon, the 'Nautilus' arrives from hawaii, ready to take us north along the Line Islands to Palmyra Atoll, a 3 day trip.