For any TCC member hoping to 'touch base' on Kiritimati / Christmas Island in the Pacific some notes after my recent stay.
Flights
There’s one pair of flights per week, scheduled for a Wednesday operated by Fiji Airways (formerly Air Pacific). The weekly flights start in Nadi, Fiji just after midnight, arriving Christmas Island Airport (CXI) after dawn. The plane does a daytime run to Honolulu and back to CXI before returning to Nadi on Wednesday evening. All that means you can get to Kirtimati from Nadi or Honolulu each Wednesday.
Despite being almost due south of Honolulu, Kiritimati is west of the date line (the same side as Fiji) and Honolulu is east of the dateline (US side). So the Kiritimati flights operate on Wednesday for Fiji and CXI but Tuesday when in Honolulu.
That's the theory, for my August 2013 trip the flight was delayed three full days!
Stopover
I know some TCC members would be interested in a stopover so they can 'tick' Kiritimati off their country list. So I talked to one of the cabin staff about the rules for pax transiting though CXI.
At present, passengers from Nadi, Fiji going to Honolulu on the CXI flight must get off the plane on Christmas Island while a cabin security check is done. Anyone who has done the Guam - Honolulu 'bus run' via Truk etc will know this procedure all too well. The 'transit lounge' at CXI is a stuffy, small room with just wooden benches so you might want to stand around outside, depending on the weather.
In the reverse direction (Honolulu to Nadi via CXI) the transiting passengers stay ON the plane. None of the transit pax got off the plane but I wasn't able to find out whether this was by choice or requirement.
The Fiji Airways cabin crew did say that the transit passenger rules for CXI do change for no apparent reason. So the advice above might not apply when you travel.
The only reliable short stay in Kiritimati is a day stop. Fly in from Nadi, Fiji, stay for the day while the plane flies to HNL and back, then catch the evening flight back to Nadi. This is what Lee Abbamonte did. There's no car rental on the island but you should be able to catch a lift from the airport and return.
Makes for a long day but the alternative is a whole week on Kiritimati. Unless you're a sporting fisherman, a week it likely waaaay too long.
Anyway - hope this helps. I wrote an article on my diving trip to Kiritimati with plenty of practical advice at http://office-watch.com?1905.
Note: some of the Kiritmati info online is out of date or just plain wrong. Dive Kiribati has closed. "Almost every week there is a cruise ship stoping by the island, " on Wikivoyage is nonsense - there's never been weekly cruises. NCL did occasional voyages from Hawaii but they've stopped. You'd be lucky if there were 4 or 5 cruises a year - large ships doing a trans-Pacific run. As you'll see from my report, the diving isn't up to the boastful claims made.
Replies
I just returned from Xmas island stayed at the Cpt Cook hotel the food was Ok not alot of menu choices and my room was just a place to sleep .
One week is a long time if you dont Fish and I dont so bring a book and do alot of beachcombing.
After a week there I have learned a lot about the people and there culture and thats what its all about!
Going and flying back and forth like Lee did was a waste of time and money in my opinion but I have also done day trips to countries in Africa so I am no one to throw stones! I flew in from Hawaii
There is also the possibilty that the plane flight can be cancelled or does a flyover as what happened to me the airport could not commuincate with the pilot due to a power failure so they just kept on going ! which happens often I am told. There is no reason to rent a car there and no real reason to get to town if you are at the Cook hotel which is half hour away all the fishing takes place closer to the town so a hotel there is a better option
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How can a week be too long when you can visit London, Paris, and Poland while there? ;-)
Car rental is possible. But it's the same way as everything else on the island: Not easy to find online. I had a car for one day only, arranged by the hotel (Captain Cook). The rest of the time, I used public communications (Toyota Hi Aces with all the money spent on music instead of seats). Also an interesting experience.