Open Writing

Whether it is living the life of a celebrity in California, making it big in New York, running a Safari Park in Africa or simply becoming a beachcomber on a Pacific Island, most of us have a lifestyle fantasy.

I want to live on Norfolk Island and grow organic vegetables.

Captain Cook stumbled upon this tiny, and at that time, uninhabited Island Paradise on his second voyage around the world in 1774. The British government twice tried to establish a penal settlement there, but these proved to be difficult and expensive to maintain. In 1856 descendents from the Mutiny on the Bounty were relocated there from Pitcairn Island.

You may wonder why anybody would want to swap city life in New Zealand for life on an eight by five kilometre island in the south west Pacific. I have visited Norfolk Island several times and I am convinced the gentle, easy, relaxed lifestyle is how life is supposed to be.

Life on this idyllic island has been described as being like that of New Zealand thirty years ago, before this fair country was corrupted by crime, drugs, immorality and greed. A time when the pubs closed at 6pm, dancehalls closed at midnight and young people lived at home until they married and people cared about one another. The New Zealand of my youth had a population of less than two million, there were few high rise buildings, no casinos, fast food joints or television, consumerism was unheard of, and our crime rate was low. The rest of the world slung off at our quaint way of life and finally persuaded us to change in the name of progress. This, I believe, has not brought happiness with it. Somewhere along the road to progress we lost our sense of community.

Norfolk Island has an abundance of community spirit. Visitors to the island are treated as guests rather than tourists. Everybody has time to stop and chat and passing motorists acknowledge both those they know and those they don’t with a friendly wave.

The island is practically crime free and the people are incredibly honest. New houses are built without locks and keys are left in the ignition of parked cars. Last time I was there, I was amazed to hear an advertisement on Norfolk Island radio seeking the owner of a sum of money which had been found in the street!

Furthermore, the climate is subtropical. Summer temperatures hover around 24 degrees centigrade. Although the nights can be cool in mid-winter, daytime temperatures rarely fall below 19 degrees centigrade.

Life on Norfolk Island is not for those who need the sophistication of a modern metropolis. It has no income tax or residential rating system. Instead, any revenue is derived from a transaction tax, 8 percent goods and services tax and a $30 departure fee. Therefore the islanders have few of the services taken for granted by others. Road maintenance is kept to a minimum and there is no rubbish collection, water supply or sewerage. There is no public transport system and only one taxi. Most positions of civic responsibility such as magistrates or radio announcers are done voluntarily.

There is no cell phone coverage and residents who want more than the two television channels beamed in from Australia via satellite, must invest in a satellite dish of their own. All programmes run one and a half hours behind Australia so while the citizens of Australia and New Zealand are watching prime time television, Norfolk Islander are having children’s programmes beamed into their homes.

Throughout the island there is a 50kph speed restriction which is reduced to 40kph in the township. The livestock which graze the sides of the roads have right of way at all times. There is a hefty fine for knocking one over.

Although farming and fishing are important aspects of island life, the majority of the 1800 permanent residents earn their income from tourism. However, you won’t find amusement parks, street hawkers or rows of shops selling tacky souvenirs. Nor are there the gaudy neon signs advertising seedy bars and nightclubs that abound in other tourist centres. The town is in complete darkness after midnight when both island’s street lights are turned off.

There are however, many very good restaurants; some of which only open at lunch time.

As importation of fruit, vegetables, seeds, pork and poultry is prohibited. All meals purchased are made from seasonal produce grown on the island. Judging by the wizened and gnarled appearance of the produce on sale in the local supermarket, I suspect that it is also organic. The delicious cakes, scones and muffins for sale in the cafes and coffee bars are all home-made.

Much of the organized tourist entertainment is linked to the island’s history as a British penal colony and its connection with Pitcairn Island. For example, visitors to the island can experience a night as a convict dinner (convict outfits supplied), a reenactment of the Mutiny on the Bounty and a tour of ruins of the Georgian convict settlement. Other activities on offer such as a garden tour, a progressive dinner in private homes, a breakfast bush walk and an island fish fry show its lack of sophistication as a tourist destination, but highlight its charm and uniqueness.

There are also a wide range of outdoor activities on offer such as horse riding, golf, mountain biking, bushwalking, snorkeling, scuba diving and sea kayaking.

Because of the island’s rugged coastline there is no natural harbour. Consequently goods transported by ship must be brought ashore by lighters. Not an easy task when what is being landed is a car or a minibus!

During the Second World War an airstrip was built on the island. This was subsequently developed into the present day airport from which there are regular flights to both Australia and New Zealand.

It is highly unlikely I will ever realize my dream of living on Norfolk Island as immigration is restricted and at my age - apart from growing organic vegetables- I have little to offer a community.

Nevertheless, living on an island devoid of traffic lights, honking horns, speeding cars, advertising hoardings and graffiti and where time is measured by the changing of the seasons, is a fantasy I will hold on to.