Residual winds from Cyclone Judy were still producing some larger swells as we approached our anchorage at Norfolk Island. These swells produced breaking waves at the small island pier, so our landing was postponed until the afternoon to coincide with lower tide conditions.
Norfolk Island is a small, exposed volcanic Island, an Australian territory isolated in the South Pacific between New Caledonia and New Zealand. After Captain Cook visited on board the Resolution in 1774, the island became a penal colony from 1788 to 1855. Polynesians, the first inhabitants, departed long before the British arrived. The island’s first civilian population began when descendants from the Bounty’s mutineers were relocated from Pitcairn Island.
In the afternoon, conditions improved, and we were able to land and tour the island, visiting the local sights to learn about the island’s remarkable history. The famous Norfolk Island pine, a species of Araucaria, grows prolifically across the Island.
