Discover Norfolk’s bounty
Lawrence Smith discovers a place lost in time, a quiet Pacific idyll with a rowdy history filled with convicts and mutineers.
To really understand what makes Norfolk Island tick, you need to take a step back and look at its history. It’s impossible to visit the island and not be enveloped by the story of its past. The former penal colony’s remnants in the capital, Kingston, and its cemetery have been recognised as a World Heritage Site – and for good reason.
It’s a small piece of England plonked in the middle of the vast Pacific, replete with stone walls and wandering cows.
It lies 1450 kilometres between Australia to its west and New Zealand to its south. Its population sits at around 1750 people, 30 per cent of whom have colourful ancestral links to the HMS Bounty.
The Bounty, the British naval ship that set sail from Deptford in East London in 1787, captained by William Bligh and his second-in-command, Fletcher Christian, was bound for Tahiti to collect and transport breadfruit to the West Indies.
The journey took a year and, on arrival in Tahiti, the crew quickly settled in, particularly in the company of the local women. Official naval duties took a back seat and, when it came time to leave, naturally most were reluctant.
After a few weeks at sea, Christian and his followers took control of the Bounty, setting Bligh and his allies adrift in a small boat, then turned back to Tahiti to carry on where they had left off. That mutiny on the Bounty has featured in countless books and Hollywood films. It’s a story that’s taught in classrooms around the world.
Knowing they would eventually be hunted down and brought to trial by the Crown, then most likely hanged, some of the mutineers travelled west on the Bounty, successfully hiding away on Pitcairn, a remote group of islands in the middle of the Pacific.
It was there they remained, marrying captive Tahitian women they had abducted, and growing into a small community. The families lasted on the island from 1790 to 1856, before setting sail for, and settling on, Norfolk Island.
Today, a walk through Norfolk Island’s cemetery in Kingston, reveals tombstones and grave sites linking that history to the present day. Christian, Evans, Adams and McCoy are just a few of the names you’ll see carved into stone.
The island itself has an area of approximately 35 square kilometres, a temperate, sub-tropical climate surrounded by the pristine, crashing Pacific Ocean.
Its coastline is a mix of rugged, pine-covered, steep rocky outcrops, pummelled by relentless waves below and horseshoe-shaped, sandy beaches with naturally protected lagoons.
The main community of Burnt Pine sits inland, and it’s where you’ll find a limited number of shops, decent hotels, the RSL, a helpful information centre, a cafe or two, and a couple of watering holes.
There’s not a lot, but it’s enough. Most venues serve great food with generous helpings, and although you’re paying in Australian dollars and it’s a bit pricier, it definitely feels like you’re getting bang for your buck.
If you fancy splashing out one evening, Dino’s at Bumboras, a restaurant not far from Kingston, is a great option. Built in the 1800s out of Norfolk pine and sandstone originally carved out by convicts, it’s a character-packed place.
Slightly off the track, it has top-notch food made with locally grown fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, meats, and good wines. You can watch the food being cooked in the open-plan kitchen and talk to the owners about its colourful history.
The real appeal of the island, however, lies in the historical area known as Kingston.
At the southern end of the island, it hosts the remains of a British penal colony and garrison, plus a collection of 17th-century stone buildings that, at one time, would have accommodated British officers then, later, arriving families from Pitcairn. Today, one of its main administrative buildings is the local council, with Government House located opposite, housing the current Australian administrator.
This itself is a subject of some debate in the community. In 2016, the island relinquished its selfgoverning status after running into financial troubles, and now falls under Australian jurisdiction.
Much to the ire of some of the islanders, it often comes up in conversation, with a sense among some that, despite the benefits of a Government pension, improved healthcare and better long-term sustainability, it has come with a loss of sovereignty and identity.
One of Kingston’s main attractions is the historic cemetery. Walking through it, it’s hard not to be struck by its setting and significance. A stone’s throw from the ocean, it houses dozens of sunken tombstones belonging to convicts and early settlers, many of whom are descendants of the
HMS Bounty crew. The engravings tell of their fates, some from disease, others at the hands of the Crown. If you make it to this special place, take a moment to appreciate where you are and what you’re looking at. It’s one of the remotest locations on the planet and the resting place of a community steeped in British history.
A short distance from the cemetery lies the lagoon. In the summer months, a glass-bottomed boat trip can take you out across the naturally protected waters and the pristine reef below.
Colourful tropical fish follow the boat, darting in and out of view, protecting their patch from the vessel above. At a time of coral bleaching across the Pacific and beyond because of global warming,
Carbon footprint:
Air Chathams flies direct to Norfolk Island from Auckland every Friday. A return trip for one passenger in economy class flying from Auckland to Norfolk Island would generate 625.6 tonnes CO2.
To offset your carbon emissions, head to airnewzealand.co.nz/sustainability-customercarbon-offset. this reef remains relatively unblemished. Dozens of thriving, regenerating corals teem with fish and not a plastic bag is in sight. Testimony to a place still undiscovered.
The scenery inland is mostly rolling countryside, well irrigated by a temperate climate and lots of cattle roaming the roads. Mt Bates, the highest point on the island, is flanked by the Norfolk Island National Park, its largest forest park. At one point, the island would have been covered in native forest, but after generations of felling, this park is what is left. A guided walk through it is a great way to see some of the island’s native species, hear its birdlife and experience the dramatic coastal walk along to the point where Captain Cook landed in October 1774.
The giant Norfolk pines, the trees that have come to symbolise the island, are almost everywhere. Towering up to 30 metres in height, they are imposingly beautiful trees that dominate the landscape. They give the place its distinct, European feel, compared to its Pacific Island neighbours.
Along the quiet undulating roads, you’ll notice how well kept everything is. The berms are manicured and the properties well looked after. You won’t find the hustle and bustle of typical Polynesian island life. It’s quiet and reserved but its story is just as interesting. You just have to dig a little deeper.
The housing is typically weatherboard, similar to that found in New Zealand and Australia, and 80 per cent of the population are Australian citizens, 13 per cent Kiwis, and the remainder a mix from the United Kingdom and the Pacific.
Norfolk Island does feel like a place lost in time. Despite a concerted effort to promote the island as a tourist destination, it’s a pretty slow and sleepy place. There is a desire for more visitors and more visitor dollars to help sustain its small economy but at what cost? That sense you’ve taken a step back in time is part of its charm and appeal. There aren’t any places quite like it and, I suspect if you go in another five years, you may find an entirely different place.
The locals are eager to talk about the island they call home and, if you’re willing to scratch below the surface, you’ll find a place with rich and diverse stories that connect to a fascinating past.
The writer travelled to Norfolk Island with the help of Norfolk Island Tourism and Air Chathams.