If Norfolk Island were a lady, I would have placed a ring on her finger a long time ago! As the Airbus 320 swooped in straight from the sea and sky we flew in from a different direction. I’m so used to seeing Phillip and Nepean Islands first though this time I spotted Ball Bay first. Tears of joy began streaming down my face as I feel like I’m home. Admittedly nervous about Bindi possibly stalking me I wore my sunglasses as I disembarked and went to customs. Natalie and Kev were there and said “wutawieh” like a long lost friend as we candidly discussed my travels from last year and then “BAM!” the rubber stamp went. Three Norfolk Island stamps in my passport! Dave and his daughter Keeley met me. I’m elated to be back here, absolutely! And I prepared and communicated about this trip with utmost caution, not telling anybody (including Racheal) when I was returning for fear that it’d trickle down to Bindi. Last year she made me feel so unwelcome when she told me to leave and then sent me emails telling me that I’m “never to return to the island.” Little did she realize that only gave me more motivation to return, and I feel I’ve achieved a mental and emotional victory. Calling in at Café Tempo I got a coffee and said wutawieh to Katie, whom I saw only two weeks ago in Queenstown. I strongly feel this trip to Norfolk is going to be the best ever! Last year I had a trifecta of a broken heart, staying with someone who mistreated me, and being under stress because of debt. Racheal and I remain on good terms and we always will; there will always be a place in my heart for her. Dave’s new wife Heide is from the Philippines and is only about as tall as Ning, meaning she’s very little. She, Dave, Keeley, and I all packed stuff together and had a picnic at Emily Bay.
My poem Emily Bay Magic is an award-winner with the Queenstown crowd. Feasting on a bacon and tomato roll I soaked up the breeze and then ran with joy along the beach! It’s Sunday so I expected to see a few more people on the beach but the bridge is damaged, so nobody can drive to the bay. Walking along the waterfront I spotted the Minischool van and there Cristina was! She said one of the customs officials called and said “you have a little friend who’s back” and figured I was the only one who’d surprise her with a visit. Norfolk Island was recently stripped of its self-governance by Australia, so the political situation has been in chaos. However, the island hasn’t lost its magic or its soul. After a few hugs with Cristina, we then walked up the hill and Keeley found her first geocache! She’s excited about the game. One of my missions for this journey is to find every geocache on Norfolk Island. My plan for tomorrow was to visit Racheal at the commissariat store but I couldn’t resist the urge to visit her today, so I did just that and she was home! Hugs, joy, convo, and wine were shared between she, Alan, and I. It’s nice to see her without having a broken heart. The trip I had planned to the grocery store never really got beyond visiting Racheal and drinking a lot of wine, but they gave me a lift to get some fish and phone credit. There’s no way to buy internet data for your phone so I have to go geocaching the old-fashioned way (the way I did it before having a Smartphone). I got virtually no sleep last night; excitement and adrenaline alone have kept me awake and I was drifting in and out of sleep at Dave’s house. Heide made a Filipino dish of rice and teriyaki-style chicken. Tomorrow I have a lot on my agenda: possible visits with Nicki, Louci, Juliette, Gaelene, and many others. There’s really no such thing as a bad time on Norfolk. Sure, rumours get spread, there are a few idiots out there, and alcohol flows like water but at the end of the day there’s really no such thing as a bad time here! Norfolk Island, I love you enough that I would want to marry you and if anything ever happens to me I want my ashes strewn across this lovely island with many personalities. I’m back with a bang, and I sure put Bindi in her place simply by being here. Whilst I initially dedicated Emily Bay Magic to Racheal, I dream of someday spending time with Ning here, and here I recite:
Emily Bay, Emily Bay
I envision you with my duchess
As I swim peacefully in your warm waters
With more colours than a rainbow
Teal, turquoise, beige, green, seafom, and navy blue
You’re therapeutic with your magic
In harmony with nature as I soak my weary feet
Emily Bay, Emily Bay
Once you watched convicts bleed and shriek
Screaming as they received hundreds of lashings
But how could you? You’re magical
How could you forget the bloody history
Norfolk Island is known the world as evil
Like an Auschwitz or the Killing Fields
Emily Bay, Emily Bay
You make me shed a tear
I cry as I let the salt saturate my skin
History seemingly forgotten
Crying with joy at your many colours
The lone pine on the far end
I exult with peaceful and romantic thoughts
Emily Bay, Emily Bay
My special one shall await me here
With a passionate kiss
We shall gaze at the technicolour sunset
Draw a heart in the sand
And express our ultimate love
Amidst your multitude of contrasting colours
Emily Bay, Emily Bay
Your are magical, enough said!
Norfolk Island, I can never stop thinking about you. Elated as ever, I'm back! I shall tackle this island with a great big smile and I shall create memories so grand and photos so colourful. Se yorlye morla Norf'k Ailen, I love you! Thanks fe me!
