Relaxing on Norfolk....

So what did we get up too for 11 days on a tiny island. We thoroughly enjoyed seeing Norfolk from coast to coast, so to speak. We spent a half day exploring the beautiful Botanic Gardens.  Apart from the abundance of Norfolk Island Pine Trees we were enchanted by the large Tree ferns.  There are two types here and one of these is reputed to be the largest tree fern in the world. We certainly did see some some very large ones and found this rather interesting chap watching over all he surveyed.

Puppy's Point, Jacobs Rock and Anson Bay were all beautiful coastal parks with spectacular views of the coastline.  Crystal Pool looked like it could be a lovely place but on the day we saw it the wind was howling and the sea was like a washing machine.  We did not get too close to the edge.  Likewise at Headstone Memorial.  We saw men working on the cliffs here but did not venture too close to them.

Ball Bay was another little bay completely covered with round rocks of all sizes.  We saw this little bay twice, once in a raging storm and the second time on a nice quiet day.  The locals hunt here for Hii Hii (Periwinkles) among the rocks.  We watched two fellows doing this on one of our visits.  It is here that the two fuel tanks are and how the fuel is transferred from the ships and how the petrol tankers get up and down the very steep hills is quite beyond imagination.  I am only glad we did not meet them here on either of our visits.

Cascade Bay is the other area, like Kingston where boats are launched from a crane on the pier.  We watched a fishing boat being launched at Kingston one day and it is a fascinating process.

With no deep water ports around the island all goods delivered by sea are taken from the freighters and loaded onto the lighters which are then brought into the piers by small power launches.  The goods are then hauled up by the cranes onto the waiting transport.  We were sorry to miss this event but were a week or two early with the next delivery being expected in the first two weeks of June.  It certainly would be worth watching.  Sometimes the boats have to wait a day or two until the weather is right to unload them.  With a crane in two bays they have a second option if one side is too rough.

Everything on the island is delivered in this way including all the cars and trucks, buses, tractors and we even saw a limousine! To get these onshore two of the lighters are strapped together with a plank of wood between them and the vehicles are straddled across them both.  It sure would be worth seeing.

We followed one sign to Cockpit Waterfall.  We found the little cascades but the track to the falls themselves had been closed due to erosion and so we just had to make do with seeing photos of these lovely falls.  The cows seemed quite happy on the tracks but humans were not allowed to wander anymore.

We took lots of walks throughout the Mt Pitt/ Mt Bates area.  The tracks through here are lovely and the views from the top just magnificent.  We visited Palm Glen each night hoping to see the Green Parrots and were rewarded one night with two of them coming in to land on the distant trees.  We did get this picture but they were a long way off.  Another day we saw four of them fly over but they did not stop.  They are lovely birds and I hope they do not disappear forever.

We spent an afternoon wandering through the 100 acre reserve and while here saw lots of the lovely white terns and the beautiful Black Noddys.  We saw a few pairs of the Noddy's nesting in the pines and they were quite easy to see.  Following the signs to Rocky Point we were surprised to find ourselves on the edge of the cliff overlooking a very wild and windy ocean.  The boardwalk allowed you to get quite close to the edge and still stay safe but a bit too windy for photos.  Walking back into the forest again we had to be careful of all the mutton bird holes in the ground.  The birds had all gone by now but it must an amazing sight when they are nesting.

Along the road between the 100 acre reserve and Norfolk Blue farm there are a number of the most magnificent Moreton Bay Fig trees.  These trees are believed to have been planted by the Melanesian Mission in the 1860’s.

Another favorite place was Captain Cooks Lookout and memorial.  This is on the north side of the island and is reported to be the place Captain James Cook first came ashore when he discovered Norfolk Island.  It is a beautifully kept picnic area and boardwalk which allows you to see the very rocks he came ashore on.  

The stone memorial stands a bit further along the garden and a little further along on the point is a wonderful two level lookout giving you the opportunity to watch the sea birds on The Northern Islets.  These are Moo-oo, Green Pool, Cathedral Rock, Elephant Rock and Bird Rock.  We spent ages here watching the masked Booby's on the islands.  The Red tailed Tropic Birds were here as well as a couple of Kestrels which kept us amused for quiet some time.

And of course we never got tired of visiting Kingston and seeing how it changed its character each day as the weather and the tides changed.  Some days beautifully calm and others wild and rough it never ceased to enthrall all who visited.  Away from the water you have the wonderful old buildings left there from the British when they handed the island over to the people from Pitcairn.  Some of these buildings are still complete but others are only shells or foundations showing you what used to be. Three of these buildings have museums in them, one dedicated to the Sirius which was wrecked off the coast here in the 1800's.

On the other side of Slaughter Bay is the beautiful Emily Bay.  It is here that most people come to swim in the most delightful little beach you could ever imagine.  Surrounded by ocean this calm little cove is the only protected corner on the island. Looking at it from Point Hunter the water is the loveliest shades of blue, turquoise and greens depending on the time and tides. At the right time of year you can find turtles here too though we did not see any at all this trip.  With the water temp around 21 we did see people swimming a few times whilst there.  A bit chilly for me in the wind!

We visited St Barnabas Chapel on another day and this time were the only people here giving us the opportunity to take a good look at the amazing workmanship in this beautiful old chapel.  Outside in the Melanesian Mission Memorial Garden you can see more of the gravestones of the very early settlers of Norfolk Island.  

We walked through the historic Norfolk Island Cemetery one afternoon and like all small country cemeteries this one tells many stories.  At one end you have the early settlers graveyard where a lot of the headstones are almost worn away from years of rain and wind. As always seeing graves of children is very sad and a number were of the young men who went to war from Norfolk Island.   An interesting fact is that there is no undertaker on the island.  Anyone who dies is buried in the graveyard for free, the graves dug by the men of the island and the flowers provided by donations and made into wreaths by the ladies.  Your family must provide the headstone though.  

And so on that rather grave note I'll leave it there and see you all tomorrow.......