That’s how you say it! And spell it. “Wutawieh” I greeted the customs officials as I stepped into one of the most surreal places I’ve ever set foot upon. My passport was stamped with a special one; even though Norfolk is technically part of Australia, they have their own laws and immigration rules.
The officials were curious about my book; one of them, Natalie agreed to put me in touch with a lady whose son has Asperger’s. Unlike everyone else I had no luggage to collect, and since I had a seat in the very front of the plane I was straight out of the airport. Nicki immediately recognized me with my brightly coloured shirt and youthful look. She had seen my photos before. We drove through Burnt Pine, the only settlement of any size on the island and Nicki pointed out all the various shops and restaurants. Nicki provides excellent commentary on the history and features of the island and is a geology enthusiast. As we drove through Kingston she pointed out basalt columns amongst the rocks by the pier. In front of the old gaol (jail) here I stand.
Norfolk is famous for convicts and mutineers. Convicts from Britain were brought here and housed in the jail before they were transferred to Tasmania in 1856. Queen Victoria awarded the island to the descendents of the Bounty mutineers after Pitcairn Island became too crowded. Nicki was curious: how have I known about Norfolk since the age of 7? In a book of flags of the world, the flags for the Canadian provinces and the U.S. and Australian states were also shown, and I noted how Norfolk’s flag is very different to the rest of the Australian state flags. It contains the islands most famous symbol: the Norfolk Island pine.
Mr. Hanley told me a few weeks ago there’s a large group of the island’s pines near his home. It’s surreal to be on an island in the middle of the Pacific and see more pine trees than palm trees. Today is Mother’s Day and Nicki agreed to take her mother-in-law out for lunch, so I told her to do her thing and I’ll do mine. She never even met me before today and she’s treated me like her son! I should say “Happy Mother’s Day” to her. She dropped me at Mokutu A-Frame Chalets and set me up in my room. She left me with some cheese, bread, cooked chicken, butter, and homemade cherry guava jam! With the door wide open to allow the sun to permeate the room I cooked up two grilled cheese sandwiches and set myself up for a long walk. Norfolk seems to be very quiet. Only two cars passed me as I strolled towards Simon’s Water, an area that’s private property but open to the public. A teenaged couple was sitting in the grass as I strolled toward the bench to soak up the breeze. They’re the only real signs of life I’ve seen here other than at the airport. As I sat there I realized: I can’t believe I’ve been to five different Pacific island countries! All five are so different to each other. Often I’m asked which is my favourite but it’s hard to decide. In terms of food I like Fiji, remoteness I like Niue, culture I like Tonga, balance and equilibrium I like Rarotonga, and in terms of surreal I like Norfolk.
Each island caters to a different crowd as well, but I like them all! Surfers and backpackers go to Fiji, families go to Rarotonga, and honeymooners go to French Polynesia, but most visitors to Norfolk are older couples and retirees and only stay for up to a week. Nicki explained that’s also how I was so easy to recognize: I’m young and alone. Norfolk isn’t exactly a cheap place either; the cheapest accommodation is about $80 per night and most of it is self-contained. In the grass I sat with Lex and Aidan, the teenaged couple, and practiced “wutawieh yorlyi” with them. “Yorlyi” can be confusing to a first-time speaker because they might think it’s pronounced “yorl” as in “girl.” The official language of the island is Norfuk (officially spelled “Norf’k” and sounds like a sex position). It’s not considered an English dialect but a language formed from a mixture of Tahitian and 18th-century English. “Norf’k Ailen” is how the island is spelled in Norfuk. A few minutes later Nicki showed up as if she knew I was there and took me on another long tiki tour of the island. She showed me what was along the eastern end of the island, then we drove to Cockpit Waterfall (nearly dry), and then had “360 degrees of wonder” (Norfolk’s tourism slogan) atop Mt. Pitt, the highest point on the island. The panorama is incredible!
Every journey I begin is like Christmas morning, and it’s only fitting when it’s to a place filled with pine trees. After soaking up the panorama, we drove to Captain Cook’s lookout, which is believed to be where Cook landed.
On my travels I’ve been to several places named after or of importance to the world’s most famous explorer: the Cook Strait, Mt. Cook (New Zealand), the Captain Cook Highway (Australia), the Cook Islands, Cook’s landing place (Tonga), and a few others, though I haven’t been to Cook’s burial place (Hawaii). Let me share with you how I got to meet Nicki. As I mentioned earlier, accommodation is expensive on the island and even if I had the money I wouldn’t be willing to shell out $80 or $100 per night on accommodation. The debacle on Niue a few years ago is still in my mind as well, so I didn’t want a repeat of that. There are no CouchSurfers on the island, camping is prohibited, and there are no official WWOOF hosts. Since I’m friends with Meralda on Facebook and she’s friends with several people on the island, I sent a message out to several people, sharing my story and so forth. A lady named Carli Christian (a descendent of Fletcher Christian) said she may have a room available to host me. Then I messaged a few others, including a lady named Gaelene Nobbs-Christian. She said she’d host me! Before that I messaged a lady named Denise Quintal (Quintal is another famous mutineer surname) when I saw a WWOOF opportunity on her website. She was fully booked for the week I was to arrive but then Nicki messaged me asking for some WWOOFing references. Slightly reluctant, I messaged her even though I had committed to being hosted by Gaelene. Roberta left me a great reference and Nicki agreed to host me in one of the chalets free of charge in exchange for work. I was in a difficult spot since more than one person agreed to host me and I didn’t want to be rude by committing to one person and then to another. Nicki informed me that Gaelene was very busy with the upcoming Norfolk Island Country Music Festival and that I’d be better off staying in a chalet. In the days before arriving here I was overwhelmed by the warmth of islanders whom I hadn’t met yet! Now it feels great to be here! Nicki drove me around the island for more than two hours today and showed me nearly every nook and cranny of the island. Tomorrow I’ll have a bicycle at my disposal and I, after working in the morning, look forward to exploring the island on two wheels at my own pace. For tea I wanted to tuck into some fish & chips. Tasty they were, and after dinner I snapped this majestic pine silhouette among a magical sunset.
Norfolk Island is rather chilly at night; Nicki and her husband Wally said many visitors leave disappointed. They come here expecting an abundance of palm trees and all-night warmth. The moon was out tonight and it was slightly cloudy. It sounds like the island needs some rain; it’s been dry for several months. My first day on Norfolk has been a great one, and I’m ready for more! Se yorle morla.
