Pitcairn is ripe with a rich history that is akin to the Polynesian and Tahitian islands. Although there were natives that first discovered the island itself, there were none that actually lived here when Captian William Blight and his crew found the island while on their way to Tahiti. Captain Blight had been to the Tahitian islands before, with Captain Cook when they founded the Tahitian islands and began a trade route there, so Blight was already familiar with the islands and the waters that surrounded the islands.

When the HMS Bounty was sent to the Tahitian islands, it was on a very simple mission when it discovered the island of Pitcairn: to go to the Tahitian islands and gather breadfruit plants that could be taken back to the West Indies to be planted as a cheap food source for the slave population. The only problem was, once the plants were collected and the ship was heading home, most of the crew found that they didn't want to leave the South Pacific due to the beauty of the islands and the women that inhabited them. Most of the crew did not want to head home, and planned a mutiny, while the Captain and a few others were just ready to get home. The problem was that everyone on the HMS Bounty was a volunteer in the Navy and really free to do what he pleased.

In late April, 1789, the crew, led by Fletcher Christian, mutinied and took over the HMS Bounty, setting Captain Bligh and several other members of the crew adrift in one of the ships smaller life boats. While the Captain and the few with him went on toward home, which was over 3000 miles away, Christian and the rest of the crew headed back to Tahiti. After picking up some supplies and 6 men and 12 women on the Tahitian islands, they set off for the isolated island that was to become their home – Pitcairn.

The story of how Pitcairn came to be inhabited by the descendants of the HMS Bounty's crew has made a great story for both books and movies alike. There are now over 200 books about the crew and the island, literally thousands of magazine pieces, hundreds of manuscripts, and even five major motion pictures that all tell the tale of the HMS Bounty and it's doomed crew. Their story is one that romantics have fantasized about for hundreds of years and still find fascinating today.

If you are headed to the island of Pitcairn for your vacation, then you will want to visit the historical sites around the island. You will also be able to learn more than you can imagine from the islanders about the HMS Bounty and it's history. There are many local stories about their ancestors that you won't find in the movies and books, so be sure to listen about their history when the islanders talk about it. The island itself is a beautiful place to visit and relax, so you won't be disappointed if you come for scenery and leave a little smarter with some island history.