festivites
1. Bounty Day: Held annually on June 8th, Bounty Day commemorates the arrival of the Pitcairn Islanders to Norfolk Island in 1856. The day is marked by a reenactment of the landing of the Pitcairners, traditional dancing and singing, and a community feast.
2. A Taste of Norfolk: This week-long festival celebrates the island's unique cuisine, culture, and history. It typically takes place in November and features cooking demonstrations, food tastings, music, and cultural activities.
3. Thanksgiving Day: This holiday, celebrated on the last Wednesday in November, is unique to Norfolk Island and its history as a former British penal colony. It is marked by a community church service, a traditional feast, and a game of "Hitting the Stick" – a local tradition where players take turns hitting a stick with a mallet while blindfolded.
4. Foundation Day: Celebrated on March 6th, Foundation Day marks the anniversary of the arrival of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. The day is marked by a flag-raising ceremony, parades, and other community events.
5. New Year's Eve: Like elsewhere in the world, New Year's Eve is celebrated with fireworks and parties on Norfolk Island. Many locals attend the annual Governor's Ball, which is held at Government House and features live music and dancing.
6. Christmas: Christmas is celebrated on Norfolk Island with caroling, church services, and gift-giving. Many families also host festive meals with traditional dishes like roast pork and ham.
seasons
The tourist season in Norfolk Island can be divided into three main seasons:
1. High Season: December - February
- This is the peak tourist season on the island, with warm weather and a range of activities such as Christmas and New Year's celebrations.
- It is recommended to book accommodation and flights well in advance as availability can be limited.
2. Shoulder Season: March - May and September - November
- The shoulder season offers pleasant weather and fewer crowds than the high season.
- It is a good time to visit for those who want to avoid the peak season but still enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and snorkeling.
3. Low Season: June - August
- The low season is characterized by cooler weather and occasional rain, however, it is a good time for budget travelers to visit as prices for accommodation and flights are often lower.
- Some attractions and activities may have reduced hours or limited availability during this time.
visa
As of my knowledge cutoff date (September 1, 2021), Norfolk Island was a self-governing territory of Australia and therefore visitors to Norfolk Island are subject to Australian visa rules.
Citizens of most countries including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the European Union do not need a visa if they are visiting Norfolk Island as tourists for less than 90 days. However, citizens of some countries such as India, China, and Russia, do require a visa to enter Australia and therefore would also require a visa to visit Norfolk Island.
The cost of an Australian tourist visa (subclass 600) at that time ranged from AUD $140 to AUD $1045 depending on the type of visa and length of stay. The cost of other types of visas may vary. It is best to check with the Australian Department of Home Affairs for up-to-date information on visa requirements and costs.
souvenirs
Some of the best souvenirs to buy from Norfolk Island include:
1. Pottery and ceramics - Handcrafted pieces can be found at the Norfolk Island Pottery, with prices ranging from $15 to $100.
2. Local honey - Pure honey made by Norfolk Island bees can be purchased at the Hilli Goat Farm for around $12 per jar.
3. Woodcarvings - Intricately designed woodcarvings can be purchased at The Olive Cafe & Gift Shop for an average price of $60.
4. Island-themed clothing - Shops like The Bounty Centre offer a range of island-themed clothing such as t-shirts and hats, with prices ranging from $20 to $40.
5. Handmade jewelry - Beautifully crafted jewelry made from local materials can be found at the Norfolk Island Museum gift shop for an average price of $50.
6. Local art - Original pieces by local artists can be found at the Art Gallery & Studio, with prices starting from $50.
Note that prices may vary depending on the store and the specific item purchased.
If you have 1 week
Hello there! You are lucky to be in Norfolk Island, a beautiful destination that offers a variety of activities for visitors. Here's my suggested itinerary for a week-long stay:
Day 1: Visit Emily Bay, one of the most picturesque beaches on the island. Enjoy swimming, snorkeling or just lounging on the beach with a good book.
Day 2: Take a guided tour of the Norfolk Island National Park and Botanic Garden. The park is home to some unique flora and fauna, including the endangered green parrot. The views from Mount Pitt and Mount Bates are breathtaking.
Day 3: Visit Kingston, the historic capital of Norfolk Island. Take a walk around the ruins of the old buildings, learn about the island's convict past at the museum and enjoy a meal at one of the local restaurants.
Day 4: Explore the island's art scene. Visit the Norfolk Island Art Centre or take part in a local pottery class. There are a variety of art exhibitions held throughout the year on the island.
Day 5: Go on a bushwalk through the rainforest. The Palm Glen Reserve is a great option, offering a chance to see some of the unique birdlife on the island.
Day 6: Take a fishing tour and try your luck at landing some big game fish like marlin or tuna. If you prefer something more relaxed, you can also go on a leisurely boat tour around the island.
Day 7: Relax and unwind at one of the island's spa facilities. Treat yourself to a massage, facial or other treatments using locally sourced ingredients like eucalyptus oil and honey.
There you have it, a week-long itinerary that includes a mix of adventure, culture, and relaxation. Enjoy your stay in Norfolk Island!
If you have 2 weeks
How exciting! You're currently in Norfolk Island, a beautiful Australian territory located in the South Pacific Ocean. There are so many stunning places you can visit during your two-week stay here. Here's an itinerary that I think you'll absolutely love.
Week 1:
Day 1-3: Start your adventure by exploring the historic Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area. This UNESCO World Heritage site offers fascinating insights into Norfolk Island's convict past. You can explore the ruins of the old prison and see the restored buildings from the colonial period.
Day 4-5: Head to Emily Bay, a stunning beach with crystal clear waters perfect for swimming and snorkeling. You can also enjoy a relaxing picnic on the beach or explore the nearby coral reefs.
Day 6-7: Take a scenic hike to Mount Pitt, the highest point on Norfolk Island. From the top, you can enjoy breathtaking views of the island and its surroundings.
Week 2:
Day 8-10: Spend a few days exploring Norfolk Island's unique flora and fauna at the Botanic Garden. With its beautiful gardens and walking trails, this is the perfect place to unwind and connect with nature.
Day 11-12: Visit the Captain Cook Monument, which marks the spot where the famous explorer first landed on Norfolk Island. You can learn about his journey and the island's history while enjoying the stunning views.
Day 13-14: End your trip on a high note by taking a sunset cruise around Norfolk Island. With its stunning coastline and crystal-clear waters, there's no better way to end your adventure than by watching the sun go down over the ocean.
Overall, this itinerary will give you a great taste of the diverse experiences that Norfolk Island has to offer. You'll explore historic sites, enjoy stunning beaches and landscapes, and connect with the island's unique flora and fauna. Whether you're an adventurous traveler or just looking to relax and unwind, Norfolk Island has something for everyone.
Culture
While there was no "indigenous" culture on the island at the time of settlement, the Tahitian influence of the Pitcairn settlers has resulted in some aspects of Polynesian culture being adapted to that of Norfolk, including the hula dance. Local cuisine also shows influences from the same region.
Islanders traditionally spend a lot of time outdoors, with fishing and other aquatic pursuits being common pastimes, an aspect which has become more noticeable as the island becomes more accessible to tourism. Most island families have at least one member involved in primary production in some form.
Religious observance remains an important part of life for some islanders, particularly the older generations, but actual attendance is about 8% of the resident population plus some tourists. In the 2006 census, 19.9% had no religion compared with 13.2% in 1996. Businesses are closed on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons and Sundays.
One of the island's long-term residents was the novelist Colleen McCullough, whose works include The Thorn Birds and the Masters of Rome series as well as Morgan's Run, set, in large part, on Norfolk Island. Ruth Park, notable author of The Harp in the South and many other works of fiction, also lived on the island for several years after the death of her husband, writer D'Arcy Niland. Actress/singer Helen Reddy also moved to the island in 2002, and maintained a house there.
American novelist James A. Michener, who served in the United States Navy during World War II, set one of the chapters of his episodic novel Tales of the South Pacific on Norfolk Island.
The island is one of the few locations outside North America to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving.
Norfolk Island has a number of museums and heritage organisations, including Norfolk Island Museum and Bounty Museum. The former has five sites within the Kingston and Arthur's Vale Historic Area, a World Heritage Site also linked to the Australian Convict Sites.
The cuisine of Norfolk Island is very similar to that of the Pitcairn Islands, as Norfolk Islanders trace their origins to Pitcairn. The local cuisine is a blend of British cuisine and Tahitian cuisine.
Recipes from Norfolk Island of Pitcairn origin include mudda (green banana dumplings) and kumara pilhi. The island's cuisine also includes foods not found on Pitcairn, such as chopped salads and fruit pies.
Religion
62% of the islanders are Christians. After the death of the first chaplain Rev G. H. Nobbs in 1884, a Methodist church was formed as was, in 1891, a Seventh-day Adventist congregation led by one of Nobbs' sons. Some unhappiness with G. H. Nobbs, the more organised and formal ritual of the Church of England service arising from the influence of the Melanesian Mission, decline in spirituality, the influence of visiting American whalers, literature sent by Christians overseas impressed by the Pitcairn story, and the adoption of Seventh-day Adventism by the descendants of the mutineers still on Pitcairn, all contributed to these developments.
The Roman Catholic Church began work in 1957 and, in the late 1990s, a group left the former Methodist (then Uniting Church) and formed a charismatic fellowship. In 2011, 34% of the ordinary residents identified as Anglican, 13% as Uniting Church, 12% as Roman Catholic and 3% as Seventh-day Adventist. 9% were from other religions. 24% had no religion, and 7% did not indicate a religion. Typical ordinary congregations in any church do not exceed 30 local residents. The three older denominations have good facilities. Ministers are usually short-term visitors.
Statistics:
* Protestant 46.8%
* Anglican 29.2%
* Uniting Church in Australia 9.8%
* Seventh-Day Adventist 2.7%
* Roman Catholic 12.6%
* Other 1.4%
* None 26.7%
* Unspecified 9.5%
Demographics
The population of Norfolk Island was 2,188 in the 2021 census, which had declined from a high of 2,601 in 2001.
In 2011, residents were 78% of the census count, with the remaining 22% being visitors. 16% of the population were 14 years and under, 54% were 15 to 64 years, and 24% were 65 years and over. The figures showed an ageing population, with many people aged 20–34 having moved away from the island.
Most islanders are of either European-only (mostly British) or combined European-Tahitian ancestry, being descendants of the Bounty mutineers as well as more recent arrivals from Australia and New Zealand. About half of the islanders can trace their roots back to Pitcairn Island.
This common heritage has led to a limited number of surnames among the islanders – a limit constraining enough that the island's telephone directory also includes nicknames for many subscribers, such as Carrots, Dar Bizziebee, Diddles, Geek, Lettuce Leaf, Possum, Pumpkin, Smudgie, Truck and Wiggy.
Population Population growth rate Ancestry Citizenship (as of the 2011 census)
* 1,748 (as of the 2016 census)
* 0.01%
* Australian (22.8%)
* English (22.4%)
* Pitcairn Islander (20%)
* Scottish (6%)
* Irish (5.2%)
* Australia 79.5%
* New Zealand 13.3%
* Fiji 2.5%
* Philippines 1.1%
* United Kingdom 1%
* Other 1.8%
* Unspecified 0.8%
62% of the islanders are Christians. After the death of the first chaplain Rev G. H. Nobbs in 1884, a Methodist church was formed as was, in 1891, a Seventh-day Adventist congregation led by one of Nobbs' sons. Some unhappiness with G. H. Nobbs, the more organised and formal ritual of the Church of England service arising from the influence of the Melanesian Mission, decline in spirituality, the influence of visiting American whalers, literature sent by Christians overseas impressed by the Pitcairn story, and the adoption of Seventh-day Adventism by the descendants of the mutineers still on Pitcairn, all contributed to these developments.
The Roman Catholic Church began work in 1957 and, in the late 1990s, a group left the former Methodist (then Uniting Church) and formed a charismatic fellowship. In 2011, 34% of the ordinary residents identified as Anglican, 13% as Uniting Church, 12% as Roman Catholic and 3% as Seventh-day Adventist. 9% were from other religions. 24% had no religion, and 7% did not indicate a religion. Typical ordinary congregations in any church do not exceed 30 local residents. The three older denominations have good facilities. Ministers are usually short-term visitors.
Statistics:
* Protestant 46.8%
* Anglican 29.2%
* Uniting Church in Australia 9.8%
* Seventh-Day Adventist 2.7%
* Roman Catholic 12.6%
* Other 1.4%
* None 26.7%
* Unspecified 9.5%
All information below is from the 2016 Census.
* Australia (39.7%)
* Norfolk Island (22.1%)
* New Zealand (17.6%)
* Fiji (2.7%)
* England (2.6%)
* Philippines (2.3%)
Islanders speak both English and a creole language known as Norfuk, a blend of 18th-century English and Tahitian, based on Pitkern. The Norfuk language is decreasing in popularity as more tourists visit the island, and more young people leave for work and education. However, efforts are being made to keep it alive via dictionaries and the renaming of some tourist attractions to their Norfuk equivalents.
In 2004, an act of the Norfolk Island Assembly made Norfuk a co-official language of the island. The act is long-titled: "An Act to recognise the Norfolk Island Language (Norf'k) as an official language of Norfolk Island". The "language known as 'Norf'k'" is described as the language "that is spoken by descendants of the first free settlers of Norfolk Island who were descendants of the settlers of Pitcairn Island". The act recognises and protects use of the language but does not require it; in official use, it must be accompanied by an accurate translation into English. 32% of the total population reported speaking a language other than English in the 2011 census, and just under three-quarters of the ordinarily resident population could speak Norfuk.
Languages
All information below is from the 2016 Census.
* English (45.5%)
* Norfuk (40.9%)
* Fijian (2.0%)
* Tagalog (1%)
* Filipino (0.8%)
* Mandarin Chinese (0.7%)
* Population who speaks a non-English language at home (51.7%)
* Population that only speaks English at home (45.5%)
Cities:
