A YouTuber made the voyage to the ‘most remote island on Earth’ which Brits are able to relocate to for ‘free’ – but be warned, as it has a dark history.
For anyone who isn’t aware of this rarely visited location, the Pitcairn Islands lie in a remote region of the Pacific Ocean. The islands currently have a population of around 50 people and their nearest neighbours are the Gambier Islands of French Polynesia, which lie around 688 km (427 miles) to the west.
It’s also pretty tricky to get to the remote islands, with the journey from Rikitea, Gambier Islands to Pitcairn alone taking around 32 hours onboard the Silver Supporter ship – and this is after you’ve spent over a day making it from the UK to the Pacific.
The island is one of the world’s most remote (Getty Stock Images)
Now you may be wondering how a group of small islands so far away from any other civilisation ended up gaining a population in the first place?
Well, turns out it’s a pretty interesting story.
Back in 2022, the presenters of YouTube channel Yes Theory decided to undertake the intrepid voyage across the Pacific, with Thomas Brag relaying the island’s dark history as he sailed towards the tropical outpost.
History of the Pitcairn Islands and the Mutiny on the Bounty
Perhaps the most significant event in Pitcairn history involves the 1790 mutiny on the HMS Bounty.
Captained by William Bligh, the Bounty had arrived in nearby Tahiti with the goal of growing and harvesting breadfruit in order to transport to other British colonies.
However, the Bounty’s crew became increasingly insubordinate during their time on the islands, with many embarking on romantic relationships with local Tahitian women.
When the time came to make their way back to Britain, a mutiny would break out between Captain Bligh and second-in-command Fletcher Christian, with Bligh and the loyalists being set adrift from the main ship.
Thomas Brag, of YouTube’s Yes Theory, recently recalled the island’s dark history while travelling there (Youtube/Yes Theory)
Aware that they were now traitors of the British Empire, Christian, along with eight of the other mutineers and an estimated six Tahitian men, 11 women, and a baby girl, put down roots on Pitcairn Island.
As a sign of no going back, and to avoid detection by the British Navy, the group burnt the ship.
At first, the island would seem like a tropical paradise, with abundant resources to sustain life. However this situation wouldn’t last forever, with a series of violent conflicts between the mutineers and the Tahitians breaking out in the following years.
The modern population of Pitcairn are descendants of both the mutineers and Tahitians and primarily live in the capital of Adamstown.
In 2004, the island would later be rocked by a sex abuse scandal in 2004 when seven men, including then mayor Steve Christian, were accused of 55 charges of sexual abuse of children and young adults.
Further charges would later be brought against Steve’s son, Shawn Christian – who would go on to serve as mayor from 2014 to 2019.
Representing one third of the island’s male population, all but one of the defendants were convicted of some of the charges against them.