Landfall Norfolk Island 2006

Heidi Wilde returned to Soren for the Vanuatu to New Zealand trip;
here are her impressions of our visit to Norfolk island.

"As we sailed south on the open ocean from Vanuatu, we all marveled at the grace of huge Royal Albatross and Wandering Albatross as they glided close by the ship. Peter Matthiessen, in his recent book on his voyages to Antarctica , summarized and gave words to our emotions, when he wrote: "One can watch albatross for hours, like raging surf and fire." Once we were at anchor in Kingston Harbour on Norfolk Island, we commented on the exquisitely synchronized aerial pair-bonding flights of diminutive White Terns.

After we reached town, we found its islanders to be uniformly friendly and helpful. Norfolk Island offered something special for everyone, for permanent and voyage crew alike. "Fish and chips" featured fresh locally caught fish and chips, tasting better than at home to UK voyage crew members. Others enjoyed special meals at the many restaurants.

Two of us undertook a natural history tour in the 800 acre Norfolk Island National Park. Mysterious and exotically different plants emerged from the mist and presented themselves at almost every turn on the trail there. We learned of the importance of the beautiful tall Norfolk Pine to the environment of the island, due to the trees' "needle" structure, which collects and channels rain and mist water to be deposited for soil – conserving plants growing under the canopy of the pine.

These two voyage crew members earned a hearty "Well Done!" from their guide, after sighting an endemic small warbler-like bird for the fifth time in twenty years. That guide, Arthur Evans by name, is a 7th generation descendant of a HMS Bounty mutineer.

Mr Evans also guided a historical tour for other voyage crew members, explaining in detail the tumultuous and often sobering history of events that occurred on this beautiful little island during the 19 th Century, when it served as an English penal colony. Just to see the outlines of the cells and holes that served for isolation confinement was a sad reminder of man's inhumanity to man.

Other voyage crew enjoyed a tour of the local vineyard, "Two Chimneys", and tasted many of their fine vintages during a most jolly afternoon, well fortified by a delicious platter.

Yet again, others used the opportunity to be on terra firma – which initially did not feel so "firm", as we all staggered about like drunken sailors – to explore the island by mountain bike, visit the local Botanical Garden, or went on shopping sprees in town.

To have one's laundry done in a laundromat was one of the island's "little luxuries" many of us benefited from as well.

All these activities, however, were not a very auspicious preparation for a somewhat difficult departure in strong winds, high swells and an anchor chain that had got caught on a reef. Through it all, Captain Sally remained calm and professional and was able to sail the ship back into the ocean with a refreshed crew, heading for the Bay of Islands and the northern tip of New Zealand 's North Island.

See VC and shipmate Deirdre Hallissey's complete gallery of photos of the trip here

Read Vcrew Brian Bowell's account of his return to Tanna here

Soren Larsen will be visiting these destinations again in 2007