24 Mar 2023

Watawieh, Welcome to Norfolk Island

"Watawieh?" (How are you?) was one of the first words we heard when our Zodiacs landed in Cascade Bay, Norfolk Island.

It was spoken in Norf'k, a hybrid dialect between Old Tahitian and Old English, reflecting the islanders' heritage as descendants of mutineers from the Bounty and their Tahitian partners.

Our local guide Rachel, a ninth generation islander, turned out to be an astonishing polymath shifting seamlessly between Georgian architecture, convict era sea-wall engineering, the island's penal history; ethnobotany, archaeology, and local politics; namely the uneasy relationship between the islanders and the Australian Commonwealth over self-government and taxes.

We were then treated to a home-grown morning tea at the Botanic Gardens of coffee, wild guava, local bananas and home-made cake made with equal parts coconut, milk, flour and sugar which sustained our explorations of the garden's shady palm, pine and Meryta forest.

At the end of the day we bid farewell to our generous hosts and rejoined our trusty expedition vessel Heritage Adventurer as she sailed through choppy swells, pushed up by steady southeastern trade winds.

Image (c): Heritage Expeditions