To the "duchess of my travels" I've returned, the same way MacArthur vowed to return to the Philippines. Every time, before I leave Norfolk, I utter MacArthur's famous words. Every time, I've returned to where I love most. Coming to Norfolk is always a a huge natural high, something akin to running down the stairs on Christmas morning and hoping to unwrap a Nintendo game I wished to get. I always hope for a seat toward the front of the plane so I can de-plane quickly and see everyone but due to weight distribution, passengers are required to return to their allocated seats for landing. I ran down the stairs and was greeted by Kev, whom has now welcomed me to Norfolk on all seven of my visits. Alison Christian picked me up and drove me to my accommodation high up in the hills.
I won't be posting on Norfolk classifieds Facebook page anymore due to getting a fair bit of backlash for asking for a room instead of staying at licenced accommodation. One person went as far as saying I'm "cheating the system" by staying with a local. A catch-22 I'm stuck in because if I stay with someone for free I'm told I've "bludged off half of Norfolk" and if I offer to pay, then I'm told I'm required to stay in tourist accommodation or else I'm not allowed to pay whoever I'm staying with. The cheapest licenced accommodation I found for the week was $108 per night and the cheapest AirBnB listing is a staggering $705 per night! I wouldn't pay that even if I was a multi-millionaire. It's extremely annoying that some people attempt to dictate how I travel when it's really none of their business. I'll stay where I'm comfortable and I'm not paying $100 or more per night for a place when I don't have to.
Three nights ago I still hadn't found somewhere to stay. I called someone who used to live on Norfolk and asked his advice, whether or not I should cancel my trip if I don't find a room. He said "get to Norfolk and put your feelers out there, something will work out." Hell, I was complaining about not having somewhere to stay when there are people in Australia whose homes burnt down. My situation was miniscule by comparison so I needn't complain. All I could do at this point is trust the universe and think positive, so I thew some positive energy out there, thinking back to a girl who once referred to me as the "Houdini of travel." Alison, considered the proverbial "Queen of Norfolk" helped get me set up with a self-contained cottage for only $60 for the week. Located in the national park, this place has all the perks: cooking facilities, dishes, washing machine, and even a beautiful veranda, all set in the middle of the forest.
Like last time I brought loads of food with me so I'll be doing some serious cooking. It's high season here on the Rock at the moment and in seven visits I've never seen it so brown and dry; it's actually uncomfortable to walk barefoot. The Bounteous Isle is normally green and lush. Though I promised myself after putting my stuff away that I'd make a run for Emily Bay, I had other plans. The first person I visited was Doosy (Carli) at the Local. She was really excited to receive my postcard from Pitcairn and I received a big hug for it. I let Doosy know straight away that I really appreciated her hug because I've been through a lot these past few weeks. Out of respect for a close friend I won't go too much into specifics but both she and I could have ended up dead had circumstances been a bit different. Part of the reason I returned this time friend Winton, whom I met in Queenstown, invited me to his 30th birthday here on Norfolk several months ago. Though I had already told him I wasn't gonna make it I had that euphoric feeling of being alive and decided "you know what, I'm going." My recent trip to Pitcairn has me eager to tell my fellow "Nuffkas" about the journey.
After a glass of wine with Doosy I thumbed it down to Emily Bay for a dip. The fires in Australia (some locals would be offended if you say mainland) are so bad you can see the haze all the way here on Norfolk. A sad colour this is...
Even the most hardcore Australia cynics on Norfolk have to be hurting for those affected by the fires. As I sat in the grass getting coordinates for a geocache I looked up and saw Louci and her daughter in their red convertible.
Louci interviewed me on Radio Norfolk during my first and second visits to the Rock. Dave was the next person I planned to visit but he wasn't home so I practiced sunset photos from Queen Elizabeth Lookout.
Despite being so exhausted from sleeping only three hours last night I gathered the strength to go out this evening after a light tea of pizza. Norfolk is one of the very few places where I actually "go out on the town," and the Leagues Club and the Lounge (what used to be the MiniBar) are open on Sunday evening.
The topic with some of the locals this evening, along with my trip to Pitcairn, is how many people confuse Norfolk Island with Norfolk, Virginia. Some people have inadvertently booked hire cars in Virginia and then not had access to a car whilst here on Norfolk Island. Even with some of my Facebook posts about Norfolk Island, I’ve had comments of “oh, I had a friend who was stationed there," which is impossible because, whilst there’s a large military base in Virginia, there is no military presence here on the island.
Here I am, sitting in my own little cottage. Having worked that Houdini magic again it worked out extremely well. Thank you cards are on their way to a couple of people for their help with getting me sorted. It's my 7th time on Norfolk, and chatter with a few glasses of wine were great tonight. After 46 countries and all seven continents, Norfolk remains my favourite place in the world and it feels great being back early in 2020.
