A spot of evergreen pines and ferns and palms that sits almost midway between the eastern coast of Australia and the western edge of New Zealand, Norfolk Island is a curious stop off on the Polynesian circuit. Wild and verdant, it’s also a walkable place, inviting travelers to hike between the spread out farmsteads and streets of little Burnt Pine – the largest town here that positions itself right at the heart of the island. Heading out into the backcountry is actually one of the prime attractions, and many a Norfolk Island tour guide lead expeditions to scale the ochre-hued hills of Phillip Island, to walk the paths of parakeet-spotted Norfolk Island National Park, to discover the hidden, cliff-backed cove at Anson Bay – the list goes on. There are also monuments to Captain Cook to see, and beautiful beaches on edge of Slaughter Bay, along with heritage homes and convict heritage centers that belie the island’s past as a onetime British penal colony.