by Tsunami Ranger Captain Jim Kakuk
Flying over the blue Pacific coastline of Aotearoa “the land of the long white cloud” the view below is a daisy chain of small islands off the mainland, itself an island. New Zealand is comprised of 33 main islands and many more very small ones. In my life as a nomad kayaker New Zealand has been one of my favorite destinations. During my travels there I have kayaked to islands in the Bay Of Islands, explored and camped on islands along the outside coast and looked at charts plotting new islands to visit. While islands around the world are different, they share many things in common.
ISLAND IMAGES
Photos of islands evoke a peaceful image and I have always been attracted to islands from literature, movies and fantasy. Islands draw you in, entice, tempt and seduce like the garden of Eden. My early fantasy was to live like the castaway Robinson Crusoe on a deserted Island making my own way. Images of buried treasure chests of gold coins filled my daytime dreams and of course the adventurous life of a pirate as in “Treasure Island” was every child’s fantasy. TV’s “Gilligan’s Island” was my teenage image and later “Fantasy Island”. Remember “de plane, de plane”! The recent TV reality hit series “Survivor” is filmed on an island and the iconic two-piece swimsuit bikini was named after an island in the Pacific.
For holidays we think of exotic island destinations like Hawaii, Fiji, Tonga, Bora Bora, etc. The attractions are isolation and pristine beaches, your own territory surrounded by the sounds of ocean waves and a fresh clean breeze blended with the smell of salt water. Island hopping is a form of travel and there are jungle islands, desert islands, volcanic islands and there are island countries (New Zealand) and island nations (Micronesia).
THE ATTRACTION
Accessable by boat or plane, islands are usually remote, and only people and birds travel there regularly. Food is gathered from the sea or land, lush with warm colors and scented flowers. Stories, lore and legends are associated with islands and their history. There are few formalities and low stress with a casual dress code. On a primitive island you can swim and sun bathe naked: no worries, be happy.
On a small island you are aware of all the boundaries and hiding places. The paths are familiar and well-traveled to other tucked away places. There is always something around the corner or to be found on the beach after a high tide. Your senses are heightened and you are able to notice subtle changes in the environment. Communication is by sight and sound with your neighbors, the “coconut telegraph”. Time passes in a different way as you observe the sunrise and sunset over the water. Island time is based on the light of day, weather and the mood of the ocean. The main source of transportation on or around is by foot or small paddle craft, the attraction that draws kayakers. The sport of surfing came from the islands and was first noted by Captain Cook in Hawaii in 1779 at Kealakekua Bay on the Kona coast of the Big Island.
Houses are small quaint bamboo huts in clusters surrounded by coconut trees. Small paths lined with tiki torches connect dwellings. A simple, primitive and tribal way of living, you must use creative ways of making things from available materials. Fishing and gathering food is a daily ritual along sandy white beaches. Cooking is on a small wood fire, pit or camp stove. Island images are the stuff of movies, natural sets with clear tropical water, coral reefs and lagoons. Mythical sirens and mermaids abound in literature and music is rife with island songs and poems. Painters like the composition of beaches, blue water and colorful flora and fauna. On an island you have the protection of the surrounding water, a fortress of independence with a very large moat. Islands have a weather, or windward, and a leeward side. Sailor’s lore is laced with stories of islands as they appear as mirages in the open sea. Sanctuary and solitude is synonymous with islands and the term “island paradise” is heard often and ”an island never cries”.
Let’s not forget romance, the ultimate fantasy of finding love on an island as in “Blue Lagoon”. Wedding ceremonies are a popular theme on an island, with white sandy beaches, blue water and solitude. Colorful dress, native culture and a barefoot warrior protector in a traditional sarong make for a memorable setting and lasting union.
EVOLUTION, MYSTERY AND SURVIVAL
Science is indebted to islands as a clinical, clear track of biology’s evolution and the specialization of species to the environment they live in. Darwin’s study of the species on the Galapagos Islands is one example. Islands hold many mysteries also: the statues of Easter Island in the Pacific and the fortress of Nan Madol on Pohnpei, Micronesia are just a few that come to mind.
Living on an island has some disadvantages: a limited cultural exchange and some people experience “island fever” after a while and feel the need to travel abroad. The term “marooned” usually applies to shipwrecked sailors being trapped on an island. Sailors lament being stranded on a deserted island and become crazed like Tom Hanks in the movie “Castaway”. There are numerous jokes and cartoons about being marooned on a small island. “If you were trapped on a desert island who would you want to be with”?
Finding water on a small island can be the biggest problem if there is no fresh source. All food should be shared and when hungry, people can become desperate. People who are put in a concentrated group or survival situation show their real character and values. Personal vices, habits and addictions become paramount when human nature and individual interests are put at odds with the common good. “Lord of the Flies” is a novel about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves, with disastrous results. Pitcairn Island in the Southern Pacific was settled by Fletcher Christian and the mutineers of the Bounty in 1790 with other Polynesian men and Tahitian women. Though they learned to survive comfortably by farming and fishing, infighting soon ended the tranquil setting and nearly half of the male inhabitants were killed over prejudice, land and women.
ISLAND STORIES
Dreamer Island is a small rock Island in Oregon that the Tsunami Rangers claim as a spiritual place; we named it after the Dreamer faith of the Nez Perce, the native American people living in the Pacific Northwest of America. The Nez Perce believed that revelations were revealed in dreams, songs and dances. Eric and I landed on Dreamer Island in 1987 and went there often on retreats and vision quests. We have had many interesting experiences and special times on Dreamer Island and it has become part of Tsunami Ranger history. On our last visit to Dreamer we honored Eric’s request and scattered some of his ashes in a ceremony on top of the island.
In September 2001 the Tsunami Ranger retreat was held on Santa Cruz Island in the Channel Islands. On the 11th we were camped in Scorpion Bay when the ranger came to inform us of the World Trade Center attack. We were concerned but not traumatized like those who watched it on live TV. We spent the day paddling along the island coast and noted the absolute tranquil even serene environment. There was a noticeable lack of boat and air traffic and it felt like we were insulated from the event and in a different reality from the rest of the country.
Please share your Island Story or Fantasy by clicking the “comment” button below.
Interesting post. But, what do you do when an island on maps doesn’t really exist?
http://www.npr.org/blogs/krulwich/2013/03/15/174203234/pacific-island-bigger-than-manhattan-vanishes
PeterD, When you “discover” an island that doesn’t exist you give it a mythical name like “Atlantis” and make up a legendary story. It also helps if you get a songwriter to add some verse and make it a hit tune. But disappearing islands have a long history and are called “fly away islands” by sailors. Non-existent islands have always stirred the imagination of coastal travelers and are usually the result of sailor legends, optical mistakes, navigational mistakes, and deliberate misinformation.
http://antiqueprintsblog.blogspot.com.au/2010/04/mythical-islands-st-brendans-island.html
Captain Kuk
Thanks, Jim, for a lovely celebration of islands. I agree there’s something romantic and alluring about just the thought of an island. BTW, I’ll give any reader a nickel who can guess where the quote “an island never cries” comes from. @Peter, that’s a really interesting link you provided. Thank you for sharing that. I wonder what the very first written mention of Sandy Island was? Maybe that source would shed some light. The whole story reminds me of the story by Noel Langley, “the Land of Green Ginger”. It’s hilarious, all about a magical island that floats around in the air and comes down to land from time to time. Maybe there really is such a thing? That would be cool!
Fly away islands. I love it! Who knew? And that blog about St. Brendan’s Island was fascinating, Jim. It suggests some ways Sandy Island might have got on a map in the first place.
There is an incredible amount of information out there on islands and researching for this article was interesting and fun. As Chris Lane noted in his Antique Prints Blog post “Arab geographer Al-Idrisi said the oceans contained 27,000 islands”! WOW, and that does not even take into account the much smaller ones referred to as rocks or sea stacks. Many of these smaller islands are the what we kayakers name and call “ours”.
Kuk, how could you write an article on Islands and not mention the World’s biggest island, an island so big it’s technically a Continent, an island with mountains, beaches, rain forests and deserts. An island of roguish men and tough yet beautiful women. An island so remote and so brutal it once became a prison of the British Empire?? An island whose first currency was rum! Yes, how could you forget my beloved Australia, the best island nation in the world?? Cheers, FP
FP, Yes I did think of Australia and had a similar discussion with Tess about wither it is an “Island”. Yes, Australia is an island by definition since it is surrounded by water but Australia is also a Continent (the only island Continent) and just too big to fit into my story. But glad you brought this up and maybe others will have an opinion on what the definition of an island is. – Kuk
Some more information about Continents and Islands from Joshua Calder: “Greenland is considered the largest Island and Australia the smallest Continent”. http://www.worldislandinfo.com/CONTISLAND.html
Purely subjective! Who is this Joshua Calder anyway? We should settle it once and for all over a few beers and an arm-wrestle….
Wowza Fat Paddler, got a tear in they eye reading your description of this great island continent 😉
AussieTess
Aussie to the core, Tess. 🙂
I’ve always wondered what makes an Island – less thinking about whether Oz is one, but what differentiates a rock from an Island? If the rock has a coconut tree on it, does that make it an Island?
A coconut tree would make it a Tropical Island!
Nancy, for the nickel, I’m going with Simon & Garfunkel “I am a Rock”.
So right, Rainer! And if I’m not mistaken, I owe you a nickel from the last time I threw out a challenge too, yes?
Sure, I’m always up for the nickel challenge!
I love the prospect of island paddling and small boat culture. Indonesia has captivated my imagination for some time. I’m not sure what the current political climate is though.
Interestingly, it was in the Spice Islands where Alfred Russel Wallace developed the theory of evolution and biogeography. Charles Darwin gets a lot of the credit.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Russel_Wallace
Good “spicy” information Rainer. The evolution of most things is usually based on a previous species or work. My fieldwork comes second hand form the natural selection of information based in the origin of the Internet, which is always subject to revision.
Great article, Jim. Living in Rhode Island (which is NOT an Island, but which HAS many islands), this subject is close to my heart. We have many islands, (both inside Narragansett Bay, and outside of the bay), all with a rich history. Most of the islands have both a native American, and an English name. For example, I live on the island of Jamestown, called Conanicut by the first inhabitants. Then there is Aquidneck Island, which the English called Rhode Island. (the official name of the state is”the State of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations”, covering both Aqudneck Island and “the rest of” the state…smallest state, but with the longest name!). The many islands not only have a native American history, but also a military history…most of them have either forts or gun emplacements or other military-related ruins from the Revolutionary War, through the Civil War, and both World wars. All of this is also true of the Boston Harbor Islands, and some of the islands off of Connecticut. The Elizabeth Islands are an archipelago of several islands to the southwest of Cape Cod, and are a real gem. The 7.5 mile crossing from the mainland to Cuttyhunk, the westernmost of the chain, is well worth the trip, as the scenery and wildlife are fantastic…last time out there, we saw striped bass and bluefish literally jumping out of the water everywhere! (the world record striped bass was caught off Cuttyhunk). I often feel sorry for those who live in Rhode Island, (and other maritime states) who never get to see the beauty that can only be experienced from the water. As you mentioned, the wildlife, the sense of adventure, the solitude, is much more evident out on the islands than on the mainland. In the winter, seals and migratory birds are more numerous there. Whenever I visit an island I haven’t been out to in a while, it’s like seeing an old friend again, and it’s always satisfying to observe what has changed, and what has stayed the same. And doing it in a kayak has many advantages, even over a small motorboat…we can go into all the tight passageways and rocky formations that larger vessels cannot negotiate. I love going under piers, and under buildings that extend out over the water on pilings. We have more landing options in a kayak, and can explore on foot, even camp out. One of my most memorable experiences was camping out on Dutch Island. On the morning when I left, I was serenaded by three different kinds of bird, each one singing their own (very strange) song…it was actually quite comical, and I had to laugh out loud. As I lauched my kayak, there was a layer of VERY thick fog, but it only went up a foot, maybe a foot and a half, above the water’s surface, which you could not see. Above that fog, it was completely clear! After paddling for some minutes toward the mainland, a pair of mute swans glided past maybe 10 feet above the low lying fog blanket… it was like something out of a wonderful, surreal dream, a picture and a memory I’ll never forget.
I did not know that Rhode Island was NOT an island. I like what you say that re-visiting an island is “like seeing an old friend again, and it’s always satisfying to observe what has changed, and what has stayed the same”. I always look for the familiar features when I return to Dreamer Island and note that the changes that have taken place since my last visit.
Kayaking around small islands is like running a slalom course, cruising close to the shore line, around rocky points while dodging the rocks and boomers is kayaking at it’s best. Camping on a small Island is the fantasy that got me into sea kayaking and is to this day my favorite spot to pitch a tent and look over the surrounding sea and say “this is my kingdom”.
Thank you for your comments Tony.
Okay, Tony, you got me sold! Now I want an article from you to post on this website regarding your adventures off the mainland of RI. It sounds amazing. And I’m sure we’d all like to see pictures. Your story about the 2-foot fog bank is great 🙂 What a wonderful experience.
Nancy, Jim, thank you for your kind comments. And I am honored, Nancy, that you would like me to to do an article for this website. I’ll be considering what experiences to write about, and I certainly have many photos (many are video captures). It may take a while ( as I’m not very technologically savvy with computers), but i’ll do it!
Tony
I think a post on Rhode Island(s) would be very interesting. Take your time, Tony – I have plenty of material lined up for the blog and I can just put your article in whenever you get it to me. Can’t wait to see what you come up with. FYI I need the post in Word as an attachment and the photos sent as attachments to an email. That works best. Thanks so much. Excited!
On my home computer, I don’t have Word, but I do have Open Office, which is supposed to be equivalent to Word. Maybe I should send you a “test” page to see if it works O.K. for you. Otherwise, I could use one of the computers where I work. Maybe it would be better if we used e-mail, rather than fill up this blog with posts not directly related to the article. My e-mail address is:
oceanww@cox.net
Tony