Creating New Events for Norfolk Island
The Norfolk Island Travel Centre team have no shortage of enthusiasm and drive when it comes to organising new events to add to Norfolk Island’s annual calendar. Rebecca says: “As a seventh generation descendant of Fletcher Christian operating a locally run business, my colleagues and I are not only dedicated to promoting our island home – it’s our passion”. Find out about the new events they have introduced in recent years including: the Norfolk Ocean Challenge (for outrigger canoes), Bird Week, Ukulele Festivals, Painting and Art Retreats, Norfolk Island Folk History, U3A tours – and more!
There’s Always Room for Creating New Events on Norfolk Island
Growing up and living within the small, tightly family-connected community of Norfolk Island has meant that Rebecca Christian feels a special responsibility, drive and pride bringing people to her Island home. “It brings a special pleasure to run my business working with and supporting the Clubs, Associations and people of this Island. It’s so much more than just about ‘doing’ business as we work together to develop new events that visitors travel to attend”.
In the past few years the Norfolk Island Travel Centre has been responsible for conceiving and supporting a whole range of new events now firmly on the Island’s annual calendar. The Norfolk Ocean Challenge has been one of the most exciting and complex to run. To begin Rebecca and her team were involved in seeking community sponsorship for the building of eight V6 Outriggers and six V1’s, all delivered ready for an International paddling competition. Such was the success of the inaugural event, the President of the Australian outrigger governing body AOCRA, described the event as an “unprecedented success with every team committing to return again next year”.
Over the past few years the Travel Centre has set up an annual calendar of visiting artists and art tutors running En Plein Air Painting and Art Trips. Working with the support of a local artist, these retreats take advantage of the Island’s diverse scenery, beauty and history; artists find not only an inspiring location but a peaceful and easy pace that allows maximum focus and inspiration to flow.
Music runs through the blood of Norfolk Islanders with our Pitcairner and Polynesian ancestry shining through. Working with the local Norf’k Uke Band the Travel Centre has supported the establishment of two annual Yuukalieli Festawel’s – with the first two events being run to acclaim. How can you go past uke playing on a raft in the middle of the turquoise waters of Emily Bay in World Heritage listed Kingston?!
There are numerous sporting Clubs on Norfolk Island. With smaller sized memberships in comparison to mainland Clubs, many do not have the manpower or financial capacity to alone attract visitors from Australia or New Zealand to their events. Rebecca says “By providing financial, in-kind, marketing and travel sponsorship to our local Clubs, we work together so that the Clubs can host events, their membership can benefit from the International competition and visiting specialists, and we can bring the visitors to their event. The overall winner from this relationship is of course, our Island home”. You’ll find a sporting event to attend almost any week of the year!
The tag-line of the Norfolk Island Travel Centre is ‘Meet the Locals’. Being locally owned, run and based means that Rebecca Christian and her team have special reason to proudly support the establishment and running of Island events. They’d love to personally welcome you to their Island home.
Email travel@travelcentre.nf or free call from Australia on 1800 1400 66 or NZ 0800 0088 10.