Description

Norfolk Island is a short 2hour flight from Auckland with reasonably priced accommodation, sub-tropical rainforest and some overwhelming scenery with its rugged coastline.

Known for its Norfolk Island Pine, which is the symbol of its flag, Norfolk Island lies within the borders of Australia, New Zealand, and New Caledonia along the shores of the Pacific Ocean. The island has a volcanic origin and is about a third of its 3,445 hectare land area, which consist of its protected sites.

Lying in the southern region of Norfolk Island are two uninhabited islands named Nepean and Philip Islands. In the year 1774, the discoverer of Norfolk Island, Captain James Cook, named it after the ninth Duchess of Norfolk.

By the year 1788, it was established as a penal settlement and was recognized as the next oldest British colony.

Norfolk Island is considered a peaceful paradise for diving enthusiasts.

Due to strict government control, its reserves and national parks remain untouched. Large species of birds abound in Nepean and Philip islands. Its lagoons and coral reefs are home to more than a hundred species of hard and soft corals.

Dive in Norfolk

Norfolk Island and its off shore islands Nepean and Philip Islands are of volcanic origins rather than a coral reef. Visibility usually exceeds 30 metres and is often as good as 50 metres. Because of Norfolk's isolated position in the Pacific, the mixture of marine life is unique with a blend of tropical and more temperate marine animals living side by side. At present there are over 250 species of fish, 275 species of algae and 35 species of hard corals known in Norfolk's waters.

More than 30 dive sites have been documented around the Island. Because of this, swim throughs, caves, arches and walls dominate the underwater terrain. These are covered in a wide variety of marine life in which hard corals predominate.

One of the deepest dives is at South Rock, a large rocky outcrop where there is constantly breaking sea. Here the diver can descend as far as 40 metres to enjoy the prolific growths of black coral and fish life. Other top dive sites include Little Organ on the northern side of the island near the Captain Cook Memorial. This site has waters 24 metres deep and is a huge arch with multiple swim throughs and horse-shoe caves.

WDR.