Every great traveller, no matter how many places they've travelled, has their sweet spot. For some travellers it may be a waterfall in Hawaii, the historical sites of Rome, getting lost in the crowds of New York City, the nature of the Rocky Mountains, or shopping and feasting in Ginza. My sweet spot, without question, is Norfolk Island. The Bounteous Isle it's called, and "360 Degrees of Wonder" is the island's offical tourism slogan. More than nine years ago I was intending to book a flight to Vanuatu. Whilst I kept an eye on the prices of flights I didn't actually book anything...until one evening when I saw a super cheap flight after having a few drinks. I booked it straight away. The following day I told several people that I was off to Vanuatu only a couple of weeks later, when only later that day I checked my email inbox and saw "Norfolk Island." When I typed in the booking reference number on Air New Zealand's website it turned out that I had booked a flight to Norfolk Island. I got the dates and price right but the destination wrong, and I was so upset with myself that I nearly punched my computer as a result. It was one of those moments where I was like "calm down Chris, it's not the end of the world." At about 4 AM I called my former geography instructor, Jim Hanley, and told him about my drunken blunder. He replied that I should "totally go" and that the island is famous for the Norfolk Island pine. At the point I remembered how I had a book of the flags of the world when I was about six, and that there was a subsection with the Australian state flags. A peculiar flag with a pine tree in the middle stood out to me, and when I got out a map of Australia I was frustrated when I couldn't find Norfolk Island on the map. Later I asked my mother where Norfolk Island was, and she thought it was off the coast of Virginia. During my conversation with Mr. Hanley I read that the histories of Norfolk and Pitcairn are interlinked. Pitcairn Island is another place that I had always wanted to visit. At the end of the phone call, Mr. Hanley said he was having a look at photos of Norfolk Island on Google Earth and that it looks like a "very neat place." I decided that I was going to Norfolk Island and that I had about 10 days to learn as much as I possibly could about the Bounteous Isle. Accommodation costs an arm and a leg and when I researched, there were no hostels or campgrounds. Facebook was the way to go as I was put up by a fabulous couple. When I arrived for the first time, I did my favourite thing when I land in a new place, and that's go for a walk. When I walked to Simon's Water I threw my arms open in awe and said "this place is gonna have my heart for a very long time." I would later send Mr. Hanley a postcard telling him how California got the Norfolk Island pine and Norfolk Island got the California quail. The rest is history as I'm now on my 9th journey to the "Rock."
I'm only on Norfolk for a week this time round as I normally stay for at least 10 days. One of these days I'm gonna fly here on a one-way ticket and stay for a long while. A lot has changed on Norfolk since my first visit. Air New Zealand no longer operates any of the routes; Qantas flies the Brisbane and Sydney routes and Air Chathams flies the Auckland route. There is no passport stamp of any description, even if you're arriving from New Zealand. Most notable is the influx of backpackers coming to Norfolk Island to do their work credit to extend their working holiday visa. Young people from Argentina, Chile, France, Spain, and many other places really add colour to the island. Two years ago I stayed with an Argentine lady named Valeria (Val), and she taught Spanish and dance classes. Norfolk Island has outstanding potential on the tourism front as it's not just for old people.
After exploring for a bit, I had to catch up with one of my all time favourite people on Norfolk, and that's Elinor (Eli). In 2015 I had my thumb out on Grassy Rd and she picked me up, dropping me only a short time later at Puppy's Point. We've remained friends since, and I had my arms out for a half a minute as I ran up to her for a big hug. Our smiles beamed as we sat together for more than an hour talking, reminiscing, and listening to music. Eli has the most beautiful smile. The time we had together this evening would really make my heart feel warm.
Nine times I've journeyed to Norfolk Island, and for the ninth I'm here smelling the sea whilst feeling the joy of the Norfolk wind across my face. For the ninth time on the Bounteous Isle, I'm gonna do what I do best, and that's take this magical island by storm!
