DAY 3 : TUESDAY : NORTH EAST AND KINGSTON

                

We awake to a sunny morning. The Lodge is a delightful place to stay. We walk to breakfast along a winding concrete path through luxuriant gardens – damp this morning. Our ample buffet breakfast is served in a large 'tent' area with a high canvas awning and open to the garden at the sides. There is a bit of excitement today when a (Polynesian fruit!) rat joins us briefly!

We first drive to Cockpit Falls in the North East of the island. This is a delightful, tranquiul green valley with small rapids leading to a 20 foot fall.

(It is also where Janelle Patton was found murdered, and there is a small plaque. Not surprisingly, this recent history is not a common topic of conversation on the island.) We see some of the many cows which wander the island.

Then to Cascade ...

... with its steep man-made cliff and jetty, and lovely coastal view in the morning sun: characteristic cliffs and pines, and the waves rolling in.

On the road out of Cascade there is a property called Redroof, named for obvious reasons. This apparently started a trend, so other names appeared: Silverroof, Blueroof, and even an empty block called Noroof!

We drive back south ...

... to revisit Kingston with its old buildings and convict history.

The old jail buildings were here, and we walk amongst the ruins.

The various personnel once lived down here too, but now there is only one café. Nearby is beautiful sandy Emily Bay.

A reef separates the coast from the open sea – a hazard for shipping. We have a morning coffee, look again at Bloody Bridge,

and then head back to Burnt Pine in the centre of the island for a sandwich and cake lunch. Then a brief trip to the nearby Botanical Gardens which is a rather wild valley of subtropical rain forest overwhelmed by morning glory vine.

We do some shopping on the way back, and then head home for a nap. We have drinks at the Lodge at 4, but opt out of the 5 o'clock cocktails – this isn't hard as others are leaving to go on a tour. The temperature is very mild here: 18° – 23°, and I am in shirtsleeves most of the time.