Lord Howe Island 3

 Well this is our fourth day on this lovely island. Because the forecast for Thursday is for wind the boat operators have decided it would be best to do the Around the Island boat trip this morning(a two hour bumpy boat ride). I declined this activity knowing my propensity for sea-sickness.

After breakfast, and after the others had left on their bumpy boat ride I ordered a sandwich for Elaine and I for lunch and took a bit of time looking at the part of the museum I had missed the other day. 

A model of Ball's Pyramid (if you click on the picture you can see the climb marked out with string)

The main street and shopping centre of LHI

I then walked to town (I now know it is about 3000 steps) and had a coffee at the Anchorage watching a Buff Banded Rail. 

By 10:30 I was down at the boatsheds and eventually found the one we were to leave from for our Turtle Viewing trip on the glass bottomed boat.

So late morning saw us all leaving on the glass bottomed boat and heading for North Bay. We landed on the beach and sat at a lovely picnic spot to have our lunch together. Those of us who were brave (or stupid) walked across the island (only a matter of a few hundred metres at this point) on a boardwalk that kept changing to a muddy rivulet. We were rewarded at the other end with a beautiful little secluded enclosed bay and a beach of rather large pebbles/boulders that made it difficult to walk.

We then enjoyed a walk along the beach with Anthony (our island guide) talking about the birds and sea life. 

Then back on the boat and out to allow those who chose to to go for a snorkel over the reef. Judy was surprised by a Moray Eel that popped its head out of its hole to watch her.

Back on board we moved further along to quite close to the Police Rescue boat where there is a cleaning station for turtles. Here we saw the turtles (today they were Green Turtles) queueing to be cleaned by the cleaner fish. It was amazing to see but difficult to photograph through the glass.

By the end of our water adventure mid afternoon we headed for home and sorted our selves out. Elaine and I joined Judy and Judith to share their wine and our cheese and biscuits then off to the bus for a lift to town. As the bus was not there by about 4:45 Elaine, Judith and I decided to walk and save the third bus shuttle. The Historical Movies put on by the P&C as a fundraiser was to start at 5pm. We arrived on time but it turned out that the bus driver had forgotten to come until Judy rang her.

Movies were followed by a fabulous dinner at the Anchorage. I had King Fish and Elaine had Beet Cheek. Both were gluten free and delicious.

Eventually we were bussed home on the Anchorage shuttle bus and after short devotions fell quickly into bed.