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The Chatham Islands lie in the Southern Pacific Ocean ~800 km due east of Christchurch at latitude 44o South, longitude 176o West, close to the international date line. They have been a territory of New Zealand since 1842. The islands form a typical South Pacific archipelago, the remnants of a 70-80 million year old volcano. Chatham Island itself is 90 square kilometres with a large salt water lagoon and Pitt, the only other permanently inhabited island, is just 6.2 sq km. It is said to be similar in size and shape to Cape Cod, Massachusetts.
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Being just West of the date line means the Chathams experience the dawn of every new day before most of the rest of the world. Needless to say, there were big celebrations for the new millennium.
The islands' long isolation has created a biologically rich environment. Many of the plants and animals are endemic to the islands with some rare birds and unique plant species that have evolved independently on this isolated island ecosystem surrounded by 500 square kilometres of excellent fishing grounds.
With 20% of New Zealand's threatened birds (including taiko, “the world’s rarest seabird”), 14% of its threatened plants and 8.5% of its threatened fresh-water fish, the Chatham Islands present immense conservation challenges. Controlling and ideally eradicating introduced pest species such as the possum without also threatening the endemic species, and persuading Chatham farmers to invest in fences to restrain their grazing stock, is hard going but the NZ Department of Conservation and Chatham Islanders are committed to the task.
 Offshore, lobster (rock lobster, crayfish), abalone (paua), cod, groper (hapuka), kingfish and others are fished commercially and for sport, while the local seabirds just catch their supper. As shown on the map above, there are several environmental reserves but, in truth, the whole area is unspoilt. Seal hunting and whaling ended 150 years ago, so significant populations of whales, dolphins and seals live in the area.
 New Zealand's Eastern-most islands were the last Pacific islands to be settled. The Chathams are the ancestral home of the Moriori people who arrived from Polynesia about 1,000 years ago and numbered about 2,000 when European settlers from Britain and Maori from New Zealand arrived in 1791. The rich cultural history and distinctive styles are reflected in many archaeological and historic sites. Today, the resident population is in decline with around 600 New Zealanders on Chatham including 50 on Pitt (human access to the other, smaller islands is restricted for conservation reasons). More than half are Maori. The age profile (below), drawn from the 2006 census shows a significant dip in the number of school age children and 20-somethings, with a peak around the mid- to late-30s..
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Fishing, pastoral farming of sheep and cattle, and tourism (especially eco-tours) are the main island occupations and English is the primary language. Tourists are relieved to discover that cannibalism has long since fallen out of fashion.
The climate is temperate and moist with moderate rainfall, averaging 15-24o Celsius in Summer (October to March) and 6-10oC in Winter (April to September) thanks to warm Northerlies and equatorial currents.
The scenery is changeable, spectacular and moody - a photographer's delight.
The islands can be reached by air from New Zealand in about 2 hours. Chatham Islanders traditionally welcome and host visitors in a personal and generous way, warmly and hospitably. The best time to visit is from September to March - why not experience Christmas day on the beach or pop over for CQ WW ?
There are several places to stay in the Chathams including luxury lodges, hotels and camping sites. You can spend New Zealand dollars in the gift shops, bars and fast food outlets, and rent bikes and cars to get about on the mostly gravel roads. ANZ bank has a branch in the main town, Waitangi.
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