Lord Howe Island is a tiny speck in the Pacific Ocean, approximately 500km off the coast from Port Macquarie. The airstrip is exactly 1km long, and is positioned at a point where the island is exactly 1km wide. So there's very little margin for error! But we had a smooth landing, with views on our descent of the high mountains shrouded in cloud.On arrival we were met by Neil and Val - owners of the small lodge Hideaway where we were booked for the week. They gave us a tour of the island, pointing our a few of the local attractions. It is a compact place, measuring no more than 11km from north to south, and only 3km at the widest point. However we soon discovered that for an island with only a few kilometres of sealed road, there are an extraordinary number of vehicles. We estimated at least 150 cars (perhaps more) and lots of motor scooters. Not so long ago, practically everyone got around by foot or by bicycle, but times are changing, even on Lord Howe.
We borrowed dodgy old bikes from our lodge owners. They were the most clapped out machines I'd seen for a long time. Joel had virtually no brakes, and I had virtually no gears - an unfortunate combination given that our apartment was at the top of a very steep hill! But we never had to go very far, so we managed to get around without too much trouble.
One of our first stops was Neds Beach. We grabbed our snorkelling gear and ran down to the water's edge. Fish more than a metre long were swarming in the shallows, only a few feet from the shore. It was an incredible sight to behold, and initially a bit intimidating. Especially when one of the locals called out that there was a shark in the water. The galapagos reef sharks are quite harmless though, so eventually we braved the cold water and jumped in. It was amazing!!Even without venturing more than a few metres from the shore, we were surrounded by enormous kingfish, silver drummer, bluefish and the occasional spangled emperor. Locals and tourists have been feeding the fish here for decades. Combined with the fact that this bay is part of a marine sanctuary zone, it provides one of the best beachside snorkelling locations in Australia.
The next day we headed off to explore the northern part of the island. These hills are only small compared with the mountains at the southern end, however we were rewarded with stunning views over the whole island and the turquoise waters of the lagoon. Kim's Lookout is the highest point at just over 200m and is a rather spectacular location. We climbed up and over lots of hills and wandered along isolated beaches until our legs were tired and sore.
An early start on Thursday morning had us peddling our bikes down to Little Island for our much anticipated ascent of Mt Gower. The exact elevation seems somewhat disputed with maps differing wildly in their measurements, but it's in the vicinity of 875m above sea level. Walks to the summit are only allowed in the company of one of the island guides, so we booked ourselves on a trip with 5th generation islander Jack Schick.The main industry on the island (aside form tourism) is the propagation and export of native Kentia palms. There are four species of palm which are endemic to Lord Howe, the most popular being the thatch palm, which is sold as an indoor plant in Europe. Palm seeds are harvested by hand, and Jack demonstrated how to climb a palm tree with the assistance of a short sling looped around his feet. I expected Joel would want to try his skill at palm climbing too, but he chickened out!
After the first short steep climb came an exposed traverse along the side of a sheer rock face at the base of the mountain. It wasn't as formidable as is commonly described, but it was quite exhilerating. We soaked up marvellous views over the lagoon and western side of the island.
We continued to plod upwards at an excrutiatingly slow pace. There were 13 walkers in our group, the eldest being a spritely woman of 76 who was as fit as a fiddle. One of the old blokes was finding it a major struggle, but despite all his huffing and puffing was determined to reach the top. He stumbled continuously and soon had cuts and grazes all over his arms and legs.
By the time we neared the summit we were clambering over rocks flecked with blood from his numerous wounds. It was not a pretty sight, but he stubbornly refused to call it quits, and our guide didn't seem inclined to argue with him.More than 60 per cent of the time Mt Gower is hidden in cloud, resulting in a delicate mist forest on the summit plateau. The air temperature dropped by several degrees as we entered this faerie world, where gnarled old trees are festooned with mosses and orchids, ferns and lichens.
Throughout the climb we were aware of seabirds circling high above the mountain. Lord Howe is an important breeding ground for many birds, including the Providence Petrel which nests nowhere else in the world. To our great surprise, Jack called these great birds, and they just plopped out of the sky to say hello. Seemingly fearless, they were quite happy to be picked up and held. I found it absolutely extraordinary, and it was a real highlight of the whole trip.
Shortly thereafter we reached our lunch spot overlooking Mt Lidgbird. Woodhens came and scavenged for crumbs amongst our packs. These beautiful brown flightless birds are endemic to Lord Howe and were perilously close to extinction back in the early 70's, with only 30 individual birds remaining. With the eradication of several of their introduced predators, the population has bounced back to around 280 birds, however they remain one of the rarest species in the world. We saw a total of 13 woodhens while on the island. It's amazing to think that this amounts to almost 5 per cent of the entire population!Our return walk from Mt Gower was equally slow, but we were treated to stunning views all the way down. Although most days were quite windy during our stay, there was very little cloud hanging over the mountains, and only a few squally pockets of bad weather.
Interspersed among all these outdoor activities were lovely meals enjoyed at a collection of cafes and restaurants scattered around the island. We especially liked a friendly restaurant called Pandanus which served delicious local kingfish and offered sublime desserts. Fresh fish was the speciality at most of the eateries which was never a problem for two self-confessed seafood lovers.
Another highlight was a short boat trip to the outer edge of the lagoon for some seriously good snorkelling. The 6km reef which forms the boundary of the lagoon is the most southern coral reef in the world. Our skipper took us to four different locations in his glass-bottomed boat and we were spellbound by the variety and beauty of the coral gardens and colourful marine life. If only the water had been a little warmer we would have stayed in for hours! We loved beachcombing and had great fun finding shells and interesting bits of coral during our wanders. Joel was especially attracted to the rockpools and enjoyed photographing brightly coloured sea urchins and anemone, trapped in their miniature worlds.
Our last day on the island had a blustery beginning. We were really keen for one more snorkel, but it took three attempts before we finally braved the fresh southerly that was blowing across the lagoon. This time we chose Old Settlement Beach. There is a yellow marker about 100m out from the shore which indicates Sylph's Hole - a small marine sanctuary zone.
As we slowly swam towards the marker, all we could see were beds of seagrass covering the sandy bottom. But as our senses adjusted to this new environment we found evidence of life in the form of amazing ribbons of eggs laid by sea slugs and snails. Eventually the sea floor became deeper and more rocky, with lots of little nooks and crannies for beautiful wrasse and angelfish to hide. Suddenly we noticed movement out of the corner of our eyes. A giant sea turtle slowly rose from his resting place below us, and gracefully disappeared from view. It was like receiving a blessing from this ancient creature of the sea, and it seemed a fitting end to our wonderful honeymoon.
