Reasons to visit the First place in the world to greet the new dawn Home of unique Chatham Islands birds and plants Visit significant sites of history and heritage Learn about the ancient Moriori covenant of peace Go fishing and hunting Enjoy rugged and awe inspiring landscapes Meet the people of the Chatham Islands Top 20 “Must See” Attractions Admiral Gardens & Pitt Island Kahukura Studio Point Munning Seal Colony Awatotara Bush Coastal Walking Track Port Hutt Basalt Columns Stone Cottage Chatham Cottage Crafts Sunderland Flying Boat Chatham Island Food Co. Taiko Camp and Gap Sanctuary Chatham Islands Museum Tommy Solomon Eva-Cherie Artz & Memorial Statue Studio 44°s Waitangi West Fishing Charters Wharekauri Station and Kaingaroa Splatter Rock chathamislands.co.nz Kopinga Marae DOC Walks Splatter/Taniwha Rock Skirmish Bay Stay " Wharekauri The Landing Ponga Whare Sunderland Flying Boat Maunganui Stone Cottage Ocean Mail Scenic Reserve Waitangi West " Point Munning " N KAIWHATA RD Conservation Covenant O Kaingaroa PORT R Seal Colony HU T Nikau Bush Port TT RD H R Conservation Area Te Whakaru Graveyard Hutt D " German Missionaries Settlement Basalt Columns Go Wild Nursery Thomas Currell J M Barker (Hapupu) Port Hutt Bay Stays Admiral Garden & Kahukura Studio AIRBASE RD National Historic Reserve Henga Lodge Te Whanga Henga Scenic Reserve Lagoon Chatham Island (R kohu / Wh arekauri) Tikitiki Hill Conservation Area " Chatham Island Charters Te One Pitt Island is Lake Pitt Island Guided Access Only " Huro " Te Matarae Kopinga Marae (Rangihaute/Rangiauria) Awarakau Lodge Waitangi (See enlargment, Flowerpot Bay Lodge page 3) Catholic Church D OW Chatham Island Foods R ENG Our Lady of the Antipodes U A R TUK D Studio 44˚s Awatotara Bush Eva Cherie Artz Ellen Elizabeth Preece Coastal Track Flowerpot Conservation Covenant Owenga Charters Mars " Container Cottage (Onoua) (Caravan Bush) Tuku Nature Reserve Thomas Mohi Tuuta Lookout Mt Hakepa (Rangaika) Scenic Mangere Taiko Camp and Island Millenium Memorial Gap Sanctuary Reserve " Owenga Waipaua Airstrip Scenic Reserve " Waipaua As indicated on the map, Tommy Solomon Statue much of the land and Glory Bay Private Land Rangiauria Glory Cottage beaches on the Islands Scenic Reserve are in private ownership. Public Conservation Land It is important to gain Conservation Covenant Land permission before entering. Rangatira Nature Reserve - Access by permit only Cannisterchathamislands.co.nz Cove Scenic Reserve (South East Island) Skirmish Bay Stay The Landing Sunderland Flying Boat " Point Munning KA Kaingaroa IWHATA RD Conservation Covenant Seal Colony Te Whakaru Graveyard German Missionaries Settlement J M Barker (Hapupu) National Historic Reserve Chatham Island (R kohu / Wh arekauri) Pitt Island is Pitt Island Guided Access Only (Rangihaute/Rangiauria) Flowerpot Bay Lodge Catholic Church Our Lady of the Antipodes Ellen Elizabeth Preece Flowerpot Conservation Covenant Mars " Lookout (Onoua) (Caravan Bush) Mt Hakepa Mangere Island Millenium Memorial Waipaua Airstrip Scenic Reserve " Waipaua Glory Bay Rangiauria Glory Cottage Scenic Reserve Rangatira Cannisterchathamislands.co.nz Cove Scenic Reserve (South East Island) vw Your Chatham Islands holiday will be a journey of discovery. Prepare to be surprised as these mysterious islands yield up their secrets. Landscapes with volcanic peaks thrusting up out of rolling peatland, towering sea cliffs, the vast expanse of Te Whanga, endless kilometres of sandy beaches and the ever-present ocean. Situated in the South Pacific Ocean, about 800km east of Christchurch, the Chatham Islands are New Zealand’s most easterly region. An archipelago of 11 islands, only Pitt and Chatham are inhabited, by about 600 people. Meet the Chatham Islanders: people who remain true to themselves while extending warm hospitality to visitors. Visit heritage sites and learn of our fascinating history shaped by years of isolation: Moriori, Maori, sealers, whalers, missionaries, farmers and other settlers. The rich diversity of plant and bird life make the Islands important to conservation nationally and internationally. The Islands support 20% of New Zealand’s threatened bird species, many of which are on world lists, and 11% of its threatened plants. Although some are protected on island sanctuaries, you can readily find others in bush, on roadsides and beaches. View the Chatham Island magenta petrel or taiko, mollymawk (albatross), royal albatross, parea (pigeon), tui, red-crowned parakeet, warbler and oyster catcher. Walk through our forests, expansive wetlands and conservation areas and see for yourself the beautiful endemic plants - the Chatham Islands forget-me-not, aster, akeake, koromikos and rautini or Christmas Tree. This eastern-most outpost of Zealandia also reveals some of the oldest rock formations dating back to Gondwana. Venture to Pitt Island, even more remote and surprisingly different from Chatham Island. Walk up Mt Hakepa to the first inhabited place in the world to welcome the new day. Enjoy a day fishing for famous Chatham Islands blue cod and hapuka. Then relax and absorb the peace and tranquillity of the Chatham Islands. Discover the Chatham Islands – history, heritage and nature. Holidays don’t get much better than this. 2 Splatter or Taniwha Rock — pillow lava formation Road h Nort Waitangi township map enlargement d North Roa Tikitiki Hill Waitangi d Bay a o oad R enga R i w k O Ti f r Tiki ha W i ng a it a W 1 orth Road N vw Kahunene 2 Waitangi 3 5 4 6 7 8 9 gape Creek Road Man ad Tuku Hi 16 aitangi o W g 10 h rf Owenga Road e tal R i 15 t 17 P Waitangi Wha la osp 11 H ce 14 12 H o spit a 13 l Road Maipit o Road Waitangi Tuku Road 18 W ek aitangi W Cre pe d a Kapito Roa h Chatham ang arf Owenga Roa M Islands Golf Club d 1 Commercial Fishing Area, Fish Factory 2 Hotel Chathams 3 Bank, Cafe 4 5 6 Forgetmenot Suites Police Station Chatham Islands Museum 7 Travellers Rest 8 General Store, Hardware 9 Bayview 10 Hospital 11 Catholic Church 12 Liquor Store 13 Black Robin Homestay 14 Fuel, Grocery Store 15 Chatham Cottage Gifts, Fire Station, Works Depot 16 Chatham Islands Rentals 17 Norman Kirk Memorial, The Den, Racecourse, Netball Courts 18 Cemetery W d aita n u Roa k gi W h arf Owenga Waitangi Tu Contents Road Porua Creek History 4 k Further Information 5 Attractions 8 Artists 16 Pitt Island 18 Transport 20 Accommodation 22 Tour Operators 27 Retail & Services 30 Chatham Island Magenta Petrel or Taiko 3 History A brief history of the Chatham Islands The Chatham Islands were settled over 800 years ago by the Polynesian ancestors of the Moriori people. They were the last of the major Pacific Islands to be settled. Moriori made a conscious decision to set aside warfare and killing and to live in peace. This is known today as Nunuku’s Law named after the spiritual leader, Nunuku Whenua who laid down the covenant of peace over 600 years ago. That covenant remains unbroken by Moriori to this day – a world record for peace keeping! They named their island home Rēkohu, meaning ‘misty skies’, after the mist that sometimes clings to the land. Europeans arrived in 1791 and found the Islands already inhabited by Moriori. Nevertheless, Lieutenant Broughton “claimed” the Islands in the name of King George III, and renamed the main Island ‘Chatham’ after his ship HMS Chatham. European settlement dates from the early 1800’s with sealers, then whalers and farmers. Ngati Tama and Ngati Mutunga arrived in 1835 and made these islands their home. They named the main Island ‘Wharekauri’. Today the peoples of these three cultural groupings, with their unique identities and heritage, live together on this remote outpost; these people are the Chatham Islanders. Maunganui Stone Cottage 4 Unique volcanic landscape across the north of Chatham Island Further Information For further reading on the Chatham Islands we recommend the following books: • Discover and Explore the Chatham Islands – First to see the sun. Edition 3, published by Deerubbin Press, 2017. Cherry Lawrie and Jocelyn Powell. ISBN 9780987174246. A comprehensive guide for visitors to the Chatham Islands. To make it easy to explore the Islands and to find the places that can be visited, Chatham Island has been divided into six sections with easy-to-read maps. Pitt Island is covered by a single section and map. Introductory chapters provide a brief description of the Islands, life on the islands today, and social history. In each section the interesting sites to visit are described briefly and some information is provided on local history, land use, natural history and the origins and meanings of placenames. Available for purchase at Chatham Islands Museum, Hotel Chathams and Chatham Cottage Gifts. • Chatham Islands Heritage and Conservation. Canterbury University Press, 2008. Edited by Colin Miskelly. ISBN 9781877257780. A comprehensive account of the Islands historic sites, geology, major habitats, marine life and mammals, flora, insects and birds (including those extinct) is documented in this book. Black Robin Chatham Island forget-me-not 5 Chatham Islands General Visitor Information Private Land Access Banking and Eftpos and Signage Most shops and cafes accept credit Most places of interest are cards and EFTPOS, but carrying located on, or accessed over, cash is also advisable. Generally private land and permission to prices are higher than mainland visit is required. On the Chatham New Zealand due to freight Islands private land often extends costs. An ANZ Bank is located in from the roadside to the water’s Waitangi. Cash withdrawals are edge. Most main visitor sites are available. The bank is open on signposted. Landowners are Tuesdays 9.00am - 4.00pm. ATM generally accommodating if asked machines are available at the Hotel and your host can help you obtain Chathams Public bar and Waitangi access permission.