Air Chathams Resumes Norfolk Flights

Air chathams

It is great to be celebrating with our member, Air Chathams, as they expand their flight network and further reconnect people and places. Brent Condon, Marketing and Sales Manager, said “Air Chatham’s Norfolk flights will resume direct from Auckland every Thursday from the 1st of September and then every Monday and Thursday from the 5th of December 2022.” Brent shared with us the highlights about their exciting new destination.

360 degrees of Wonder – Norfolk Island!

From surfing to stargazing, ghost tours to golf, stunning scenery, pristine beaches and fantastic food, Norfolk Island has it all. It’s less than a three-hour flight from New Zealand, and once you experience Norfolk Island’s 360° of wonder, you’ll soon be wondering why you didn’t come over sooner.

Tourists enjoying Norfolk Island coral reefsAnd while it’s an ideal spot to kick back and bask in the sunshine and sea air, chances are you won’t be sitting still for long. Pull on some goggles and float out from the sands of Emily Bay to coral reefs or out a little further into surf breaks where the waves are plenty and your fellow surfers are friendly and few. There are morning charters that let you fish the day away - and the fishing here is spectacular! - then by night sit back as your catch is served up to you expertly prepared island style. And island style eating is what is putting Norfolk Island on the map for many foodies. Because forget about food miles - on Norfolk they work in food metres! Their volcanic soils are rich, deep and free of all the chemical nasties the rest of the world is finally waking up to, so pile your plate with food caught, collected and harvested from our pristine waters, tide pools and paddocks each day.

And, if you like to eat organic, well, that’s pretty much the only way the Islanders know: from mouth-watering fresh-caught seafood cooked on the barbecue or flame-grilled Norfolk Blue beef served up in the atmospheric dining room of a convict-era home, to the South Pacific’s best wood-fired pizzas and burgers big enough to satisfy the appetite of the most ravenous castaway.

EVERYWHERE YOU TURN ON Norfolk Island - literally for 360 degrees - there’s something wonderful, something to thrill and inspire, to soothe the mind, body and soul. And while Norfolk has been on many Kiwis’ to-do list for years, and there’s never been a better time than now to come see paradise before the hustle and bustle returns. With its mix of sunlit sands and crystal clear waters, rugged cliffs and deep forests, Norfolk’s diverse landscape magically changes at each turn.

Tourists enjoying Norfolk Island Botanic GardensIF YOU PREFER TO STAY ON DRY LAND then explore the forest and clifftop trails or take a hiking tour to Phillip Island and feel like Charles Darwin in the land that time forgot. The island is home to unique flora and fauna, but you don’t have to be a birdwatcher to recognise the beauty of this place; it’s a photographers paradise, with inspiring sunsets and sunrises, and capturing all this beauty is just part of the adventure. But then adventure has been in the blood of Norfolk Islanders for generations.

Wherever you travel in the world you’ll find stories, but it’s a challenge to find a place with more legends, tall tales and ripping yarns per square metre than Norfolk Island. Polynesian seafarers shared their songs and stories here centuries before Captain Cook first sighted the Norfolk pines through his spyglass, and then, shortly after the First Fleet dropped anchor in Sydney Harbour, Norfolk’s first European chapters were written in convict blood, sweat and tears.

Norfolk’s sweeping narrative took on a more hopeful tone when the descendants and families of the HMS Bounty mutineers arrived from Pitcairn Island, shaping the European and Tahitian character and culture you’ll find on Norfolk today. Then came the whalers and the World War II airmen, all adding to the story and character of what we know as Norfolk Island today.

The story of the island is no means a dusty old history though; with so many voices from so many parts of the world, it is little wonder that Norfolk Islanders are some of the world’s great storytellers. Every ruin, every laneway, every gravestone has a story to tell, and if you love a good yarn then join one of the guided tours to learn more of the heritage and characters that abound on the island; the night tours, taking in the historic buildings and stories – as well as a good ghost story or two - are proving particularly popular! Places like Kingston, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, capture the page-turner history of the Island, filled with triumph and heartbreak; and with the Norfolk Island Golf Club right next door, visiting golfers can drop in to experience their own special form of that. So come on Kiwis, now really is the time to get back in the air and get on over to Norfolk Island before the rest of the world returns.

It’s just a hop, skip and a jump away, and it offers everything you want in the perfect getaway: sun, sand, great food, relaxation and adventure. So what are you waiting for?

For more information go to www.airchathams.co.nz