At present there is a New Zealand GP on the island. Previous medical practitioners have come from Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The island has a small health clinic with dental and X-ray equipment and emergency medications, but is not equipped to deal with major problems, which may require waiting days or weeks for a nearby passing ship to provide evacuation to a medical facility. The island is out-of-range of all evacuation helicopters. Needless to say, this is no place to have a heart attack, stroke, and so on. A full medical check-up back home a couple weeks before arrival is strongly recommended.
contact
Each household now has their own private telephone and most have internet also. The country code is +64 like New Zealand.
talk
English is the official language and spoken by everyone. Pitkern, a mixture of 18th century English and Tahitian with a bit of sailing jargon thrown in e.g., "all hands" means "everyone", is spoken by the residents amongst themselves.
cope
Electricity 240V/50Hz is available only for 5 hours in the morning and 5 hours in the evening.
Although there is no broadcast radio or television in the region, most homes are equipped with televisions and VHS/DVD players. If you bring any recordings with you, be sure they are PAL format and DVD region 4 or bring your own DVD player, as the locals' equipment supports those standards not NTSC or other DVD regions. That said, some PAL DVD players will play region-free NTSC, though it's better not to take a chance on anything important.
respect
The population are mostly members of the Seventh Day Adventist church, following mission work in the late 19th century. Although religious observance has declined, church doctrine strongly influences both public practice and civil law. For example, alcohol was legally prohibited until recently; dancing, public displays of affection, and cigarette smoking are frowned upon; and the Sabbath Saturday is consistently considered a day of rest if not worship. Reasonably modest, climate-appropriate western clothing is worn.
The recent trials of several Pitcairn men including the former mayor and much of the island's workforce on sexual abuse charges have been very difficult for the close-knit island community, with everyone being a friend or family of at least one of the victims, the suspects, or the convicted. The incident has also brought to the surface tensions over Pitcairn's sovereignty such as unfamiliar UK laws being tried by New Zealand courts. Strong feelings should be expected, and statements expressing any opinions beyond an acknowledgement of how difficult this has been for the islanders stand a high probability of upsetting someone in your audience.
Don't bring bees or beekeeping equipment. The island's bee population has been certified as disease-free and Pitcairn honey is becoming an important economic activity.