A week on Norfolk Island

I am home from a wonderfully interesting and restful week on 'Norfolk'. I travelled with friend C. We are well seasoned travel/holiday companions. Because of our circumstances 'budget travel' is important but with lots of great food and experiences.
Norfolk was a success. Our apartment came with an overabundance of avocado's and paw paws. The garden also yielded oranges, carrots and parsley. We fed the chickens daily with our vegetable scraps and were rewarded with fresh eggs.
Most of our vegetables came from farm gate stalls with honesty boxes or the produce at markets and small amounts sold by individual shop keepers from their gardens.

We bought the best beef and blue cheese sausages from 'Dan the man' butcher and supplemented this with tomatoes, lettuce and a choko from his garden.
We had an orientation tour on the first morning that ended with a Devonshire tea in a beautiful garden. We were also able to explore some of the rooms in the house.

Old homestead and garden

St Barnabas

This church was left behind by the Melanesian Mission last century. The islanders had such a strong connection to England and in particular to Queen Victoria that the church has 'William and Morris' designed stained glass windows and a Willis organ. Quite expensive decorations for such a small community.

Mother of pearl decorations on the end of the pew

The whole coastline is one one photo opportunity after the other. Ever rise you come over has a view.

Private beaches

Public beaches - Emily Bay

View from inside the jail walls

View from our apartment

Green, green and more green

Being able to go to the beach and look at the horizon, then be surrounded by lovely green countryside and tropical gardens is bliss for the soul.

Great public art

1 days foraging - the orange was hiding

Lunch with a view

Everything on this sandwich was sourced on the island - all organic. The Chef Heidi is so creative. On one visit we had banana and green paw paw cake that was delicious. They often have to improvise with ingredients as everything is seasonal.

Military barracks

This ruin was on private property so there was no indication of what it was. We did had to do some detective work to find out. Lots of farms have ruins of some sort. They make lovely walled gardens.

There are cows cows and more cows. They wander the island at will in family groups with their calves. All driveways have a cattle grid to keep them out of the gardens. Also wild chickens and roosters. They are decedents from the English chicken introduced in the late 1700's.  The roosters are magnificent mostly red with the most colourful tails.

Cows have right of way

Cemetery Bay