Norfolk Island Trip

The Behind the Hedges Tour

Our first stop was Ranston Farm on the western coast of the island. The farm is about “lifestyle not making a living”. We were introduced to the herd of cattle …



… and to some of the techniques of horse riding …





… and had the chance of a pat …



Not far away from the farm was the “Norfolk Island Cottage Pottery and Art Gallery”, where we were shown how to throw a pot …



… after which we perused the items in the gallery …

From Norfolk Island

… and viewed the picturesque surroundings …





We had our morning tea …



… in another stunning location, Anson Bay …



… where many photos were taken with the bay as backdrop …



... and some of the island wildlife were also on show …



Then it was off …



… to Boniface’s property …



... which was part of the original bequest to one of the Pitcairn Islanders who arrived at Norfolk Island in 1856.

The garden had many attractions …



Our final destination was “Sweeties” where we were informed about the process of making chocolates …



… after which we all sampled the shop’s whares.

Mutiny on the Bounty Show

In the evening we attended the “Mutiny on the Bounty Show” which described the circumstances of the famous mutiny …

The show started with the decision to send the Bounty under the command of Bligh to Tahiti to collect breadfruit trees to be used to feed slaves in the West Indes (Caribbean).

On the voyage Bligh and Fletcher Christian were initially good friends … a relationship that was cemented when Bligh promoted Christian to second Lieutenant but Bligh became quite abusive to his crew … and Christian began to have misgivings about his captain …



After a difficult voyage, they reached Tahiti and Christian's misgivings were put aside as they rowed ashore ...



... to a wonderful greeting by Tahitian people ...



Many members of the crew, including Christian, were very disappointed when Bligh inforned them that they were leaving to continue their voyage ...



The recent pleasures of the island made it increasingly difficult for Christian and other crew members to withstand Bligh's sarcastic tongue and iron discipline resulting soon after in mutiny …



… and the placing of Bligh and the loyal members of the crew into the long boat …



Multi-skilling is the order of the day on Norfolk Island. Generally the bus drivers who took us to events were involved in the cast. The driver, who took us to the show and then home …



… played the role of Bligh.

He informed us of interesting details of the production, which has been going for more then 15 years. The dialogue is pre-recorded with actors miming the words so that words that are said on stage cannot be heard by the audience. As well the actors so they perform different parts on different nights. Our driver told a story of one night when “Christian” told “Bligh” that he was going to tie him to the mast and deliver him to a gay bar. “Bligh” had to struggle mightily to hide his laughter from the audience. He also described occasions when actors missed their cue but the tape kept rolling and actors “talked” to characters who were not on the stage.

It was a great night of open air theatre, with the Southern Cross, and the Milky Way shining brightly overhead.

The mutiny is an important and recurring theme on Norfolk Island as many residents are descendents of the Bounty Mutineers.

For those interested in the mutiny, and the subsequent history of the mutineers, here are some links:

* The Bounty Adventure, Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6

Most of the mutineers settled on Pitcairn island. For more information on the island and the mutineer's life on Pitcairn see this link

The Bounty, Pitcairn Island, and Fletcher Christian's Descendants

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