Honeymoon - Lord Howe Island

* * Photos of the wedding day will appear in a subsequent blog post * *

My wife and I spent five nights in Lord Howe Island for our honeymoon;  a UN World Heritage listed site for its outstanding natural beauty and history. Lord Howe has many species of birds unique to the island and is surrounded by marine parks, making it a naturalists paradise. The climate is pretty steady, with min/max temperatures ranging between 17 and 23 degrees most days. The island has around 350 inhabitants, with around the same number of visitors at any time. 

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In parts the island looks like a real life Jurassic Park and we were half expecting to round a corner to find the velociraptor enclosure; however, Lord Howe possesses no dinosaurs, nor indeed any of the deadly animals of mainland Australia.

We stayed at the Pinetrees Resort, operated by a sixth generation family who originally came to the island in 1848. The resort is well known for its outstanding food; our package included all meals (with optional packed lunch to take with us, or bbq - delivered to any of the many bbq spots around the island), the highlight being the fine dining three course meals each night, which were fantastic - the kingfish and steaks being a real standout. Perhaps it's not surprising that on our last day we had lunch next to a former government minister on one table and the family of the skipper of James Packer's luxury yacht on another.

"Lovers' Pines" - a popular wedding spot on the island

Getting around the island is pretty easy on bikes, which were ideal for getting to many of the walking trails. The weather was pretty average for most of our stay - the odd shower (one massive storm one night which was entertaining) and high winds, but the overcast conditions were ideal walking weather.... and wine drinking weather, too. On the final day we awoke to a still and sunny day, but with enough time in the morning to enjoy a swim and some snorkelling.

Woodhens - flightless and fearless birds on Lord Howe

A naturally occurring teepee

Resting at Kim's Lookout, after a steep climb to the top

Looking down across the lagoon

And, courtesy of Google Images, how it looks without the thick cloud....

In addition to the food and some great walks, one of the highlights was definitely feeding the fish at Ned's Beach (see video below). The people were really friendly and welcoming; as honeymooners we were pretty much the only people under the age of 50 or without children, but it did mean we had a relaxing, quiet and peaceful few days - which was absolutely perfect.

Finding a park can be stressful during rush hour in the CBD

I actually took this photo and it does look like this - the lagoon on our last day

View from the beach house at Pinetrees

The departure lounge

hometime

A huge thank you again to all our family and friends whose generosity made a huge contribution to our honeymoon - an unforgettable and wonderful trip.