Timeless beauty of the Chathams

• Published date: 07 March 2023
• Publication title: Ensign, The

But clock time is not the only difference — you’ll very likely experience ‘‘island time’’ before you even leave New Zealand

Air Chatham, virtually the only way to get to the island, changes its departure times often. Ours changed four times before we left, and our early morning return flight was in doubt until late in the afternoon. A few days before our visit, planes had not been able to land for about three days. Not surprising perhaps, as Rekohu, the Moriori name for Chatham Island, means ‘‘misty skies’’.

There’s an urban myth that accommodation providers don’t strip the beds of departing guests until their plane has actually taken off. Occasionally a plane lands with new visitors but is prevented from taking off again with those intending to depart, leaving hosts scratching their heads about how to put everyone up.

‘‘You can’t ask strangers to top and tail or double bunk,’’ says the dynamic and extremely capable Toni Croon with a laugh. A former jockey, she owns Hotel Chatham on the waterfront, runs several other accommodation options, rental vehicles and many of the tours.

Visitors have to be flexible — itineraries depend on the weather, with guides deciding each day which sites they will visit.

If anyone in New Zealand manages to listen to the radio weather forecast for the Chathams, they will know that it’s usually cloudy with showers. However, our week-long trip in late November last year was mostly sunny with occasional morning or nighttime showers — and the constant sea breeze disguises the ferocity of the sun.

Our guides introduced us to locals and showed us the history, culture, geography, geology, flora and fauna of this intriguing island — there was certainly enough to keep us busy for a week. Some showed us their own places and family graves. There are no public cemeteries here, so people are buried on family land.

There’s a sense of isolation on these islands, only two of which are inhabited — most are large rocks, even if forested and inhabited by birds.

Lone trees twisted and shorn by the constant wind, and the odd vehicle quietly rusting in neglected paddocks being overtaken by gorse add to the sense of remoteness.

We couldn’t believe our eyes when a small flock of what looked like moa crested the slope in a rough paddock — it turns out they were left over from a failed attempt at emu farming, our guide explained.

Cattle and sheep graze in the lusher paddocks, but farming costs are high because there is no abattoir on the island and...