Oeno Island, one of the Pitcairn group of four islands, is a low atoll situated 76 miles northwest of Pitcairn at 23 degrees 56 minutes South, 130 degrees 44 minutes West. Squarish in shape, it is a little over two miles wide.
Oeno has a colorful history, with a number of ships having wrecked on her reef. First discovered by Captain Henderson of the “Hercules,” Oeno is Pitcairn’s “Holiday Island,” to which the Pitcairners usually sail once a year for a week or more to enjoy a more relaxed way of life.
As the Pitcairners enjoy their vacation at Oeno, their longboats are anchored safely inside the reef while the vacationers fish, gather coconuts, shells and thatch for making baskets, or just relax under the island’s many palm trees.
During holiday on Oeno the Pitcairners usually set up two camps which contain kitchens, bathrooms and other facilities to accommodate the campers. The camps consist of two tents made with ropes strung between two trees with large tarpaulins thrown over and stretched as far as possible for shelter.
Fresh water for showering, washing clothes and dishes on Oeno is pumped out of a well dug in the sand, and into tanks. The water level is affected by tidal movement.
On Oeno during their annual vacation, the Pitcairners gather hundreds of coconuts, which are not plentiful on Pitcairn Island.
Once the Pitcairners arrive on Oeno Island for holiday, they began preparations for their camp. Collecting palm fronds for shade is but one of the many tasks required.
Fresh, cool coconut milk in the midst of a hot day is a delight indeed!
Land crabs, some with shells on their backs, are the bane of holiday camping by the Pitcairners on Oeno Island: the creature have very sharp claws!
Oeno is home to a number of birds such as the Murphy's Petrel, Kermadec Petrel, Sooty Tern, Brown Noddy and other species.
Thomas Knowles was buried on Oeno Island by his brother, Captain Josiah Knowles. Knowles's remains were brought onto Oeno Island after Capt. Knowles' clipper Wild Wave crashed onto the reef in 1858. [Read Sea Tale about this wreck.]
While the Pitcairners vacation, their longboats wait off shore to begin the voyage home, out through the tricky opening in the reef, and then across miles and miles of open ocean back to the tiny dot that is Pitcairn.
Pitcairn longboats and canoes in the Oeno lagoon await use for fishing or other uses by the Pitcairners during their Oeno Island holiday trips.
The peaceful, shaded shoreline of Oeno offers its relaxing beauty to the Pitcairn Islanders during their holidays on the island.
While distant waves crash and roar outside Oeno Island's reef, Pitcairn islanders on holiday enjoy the warm, calm waters inside as part of their holiday fun.
At Oeno Island, with its fish-filled lagoon and many coconut trees, the Pitcairners stock up with shells, coconuts and fish that will make their life on Pitcairn easier.
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