May 12, 2017
A funny thing happened to us on the way to New Caledonia: We got stuck at Lord Howe Island. What we thought would be a couple of days here is going to turn into a couple weeks by the time the weather is right for moving on. And what a wonderful place it is to be “stuck!”
“So what is there to do at Lord Howe?” you ask.
Hiking, walking, riding our rented bikes all over the island, more hiking, eating, more eating (great food), a massage, more hiking, wet dinghy rides to the launch ramp, more bike riding, more hiking, more eating. You know. The same old stuff (but with a lot more exercise! Maybe too much exercise!). Here, see for yourselves…
The pictures above are from either Ned’s Beach (beach and feeding fish pictures) or our hike up Mount Eliza (the aerial views). We thought the Mount Eliza was strenuous but it was nothing compared to our walk up to Goat House Cave at the other end of the island. Here are some pictures from that misguided adventure (misguided in that it probably requires a level of fitness that I don’t currently possess and I’ve been paying for it in the coin of pain ever since).
Why so many pictures of that raven-like guy? It’s because he seemed to be leading us the mountain and encouraging us when we needed it most. He seemed to say, “Look, this is easy. Just a little further.” Easy for him and his wings maybe! He’s (or she’s – I don’t know) a currawong. At first we were intimidated by that big, pointy beak, but he (she) was friendly. We wondered if better prepared hikers brought food along that they shared with the birds. We didn’t even bring water. Not smart.
At times there were several currawongs that’d land on branches very close to us. We think they might have been betting on us making it to Goat House Cave. It was three to one against at the steepest part where you have to pull yourself up the almost-cliffs with ropes.
Below are some random pictures from more sane times that I wanted to share…
Where is all this stuff? Here’s an interactive Google map.
More on Lord Howe Island…
Our Brief but Memorable Life on Lord Howe Island
Beautiful Island (Lord Howe Island, Australia)
