|
| Pitcairn's
post office and general store, September 2007 |
The
Pitcairn Island post office is opened for a period of time on Sundays, Tuesdays,
Thursdays and before the arrival of ships enroute to New Zealand and after the
departure of ships that deliver mail to the island. Until
1926, letters from Pitcairn franked Posted on Pitcairn Island: no stamps
available were delivered free of charge in New Zealand and elsewhere. For
the next 14 years New Zealand stamps and rates were used, and on October 15, 1940,
the first Pitcairn Island postage stamps, consisting of eight denominations, were
issued. In 1941 a small post office was built in the Square of Adamstown and the
amount of mail increased significantly. In 1957 the islands first postmaster,
Mr. Roy Clark, discussed the need for a larger post office, and in the early 1960s
a new post office was built. Mail to and from the island is sent
via New Zealand and can take several months before it is delivered. The supply
ships, which depart from New Zealand, deliver mail to the island at least three
times a year and ships passing Pitcairn enroute to New Zealand are sometimes willing
to collect mail and carry it to Auckland. [From Guide
to Pitcairn, 1999 Edition, Published by the Government of The Islands
of Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno.] [Pitcairn
Philately] |