National Geographic Orion arrived on the north side of Norfolk Island in beautiful conditions. Landing here is notoriously difficult, but today the seas were on our side. We took Zodiacs to the stunning coastline and waltzed up the concrete steps with ease.
Our morning tour of the island featured historical information about the penal colony, the cemetery, slavery, and hardship. Expedition Leader Leah Eaton made special arrangements for us to have lunch ashore. We enjoyed a Norfolk Island famous fish fry at an amazing bay! They served us red emperor, locally called trumpeter fish, that had been caught that morning. It was so delicious that I’m pretty sure everyone went back for seconds.
The afternoon was about exploring the vegetation and birds of the island. We went to a gorgeous, pristine botanical garden where we were treated to looks at the Norfolk Island gerygone and even a flyby of the Norfolk Island parakeet! Our next and final stop was at 100 Acres Reserve, where some of us walked the full loop down to the cliff edge to witness glorious vistas and nesting red-tailed tropicbirds. Norfolk Island is truly a special place, and we were lucky to spend the entire day there. But wait…there’s more! Today was the day of the famous National Geographic Orion Crew Show. After a beautiful Aussie barbecue, we got to see the amazing talents of our crew. What an awesome day!
