Building Homes, Digging Wells & Communal Gardens

Building Homes, Digging Wells & Communal Gardens - 

Discover how Norfolk Islanders maintained our way of life through resourcefulness and cooperation. 

Establishing homes on the island when the Pitcairners arrived, presented immediate challenges. Chief among these was securing a reliable water source, a necessity that shaped the settlement patterns and community development for generations to come.

The digging of wells was a tradition that instilled a deep respect for water resources with many of the original wells on the island now preserved as reminders of the ingenuity and perseverance of the community.

Before the first shovel of earth was turned for a new well, the islanders faced a critical challenge: determining where to dig. With limited technical equipment and no geological surveys, communities turned to the ancient practice of water divining, also known as dowsing, to locate underground water sources.

In Merv Buffett’s “Homegrown” Book, he shares how a well was traditionally dug on the island.

One of the most distinctive features of Norfolk Island's cultural heritage has been its tradition of  shared agricultural garden spaces which represented far more than mere food production – they embodied the island's collective spirit and sustainable approach to resource management.

Gardens were strategically positioned to maximize sun exposure and natural drainage while minimizing wind damage. Typically surrounded by banana plantations as windbreaks, these gardens were worked together by families during planting and harvest seasons.

The social fabric of Norfolk Island was woven through daily practices of cooperation and resource sharing that extended far beyond the communal gardens. This tightly-knit community developed sophisticated systems for collaborative food production and distribution that ensured survival while strengthening social bonds across generations.

Fishing expeditions exemplified the island's collaborative spirit. Crews consisting of members from multiple families would set out in boats built through communal labor. Using techniques refined over generations, these fishing parties targeted different species depending on season and weather conditions. The catch would be brought ashore to share with other community members who also helped to process the fish. Distribution often considered family size, participation in the expedition, and special needs within the community.

Special provisions were made for community members experiencing hardship. When illness struck a family, neighbors would automatically increase their share of contributions to communal work while ensuring the affected family received necessary resources. This safety net operated without formal organization, embedded instead in cultural expectations of mutual support.

Living on an isolated island without modern conveniences like refrigeration and electric appliances, the early Norfolk Islanders developed ingenious methods for food preparation and preservation that sustained their community through all seasons. These techniques, often blended influences from Pitcairn Island and Polynesian traditions and created a unique culinary heritage that defined island life.

Understanding that water conservation on Norfolk Island isn't merely an environmental practice but a cultural tradition with deep historical roots will enhance your appreciation of local customs. The island's approach to water represents generations of accumulated wisdom about sustainable living in an isolated environment.

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Transcript

Building Homes, Digging Wells & Communal Gardens

Welcome to Episode 32 of the Untold Norfolk Island travel podcast series.

My name is Jodie Williams and as a Norfolk Islander & Churchill Fellow, I am your ‘on island’ podcast host.

>>> Audio: You have just heard a snippet of ‘Beyond the Sunset’ as sung by Susan Pedel and Orl Ucklun:

Welcome to another layer of exploration into Norfolk Island's rich cultural heritage and sustainable practices. In this episode, discover how Norfolk Islanders maintained our way of life through resourcefulness and cooperation.

Establishing homes on the island when the Pitcairners arrived, presented immediate challenges. Chief among these was securing a reliable water source, a necessity that shaped the settlement patterns and community development for generations to come.

The digging of wells was a tradition that instilled a deep respect for water resources with many of the original wells on the island now preserved as reminders of the ingenuity and perseverance of the community.

Before the first shovel of earth was turned for a new well, the islanders faced a critical challenge: determining where to dig. With limited technical equipment and no geological surveys, communities turned to the ancient practice of water divining, also known as dowsing, to locate underground water sources.

In Merv Buffett’s “Homegrown” Book, he shares how a well was traditionally dug on the island - listen to this excerpt:

After arriving on Norfolk Island from Pitcairn in 1856 the Islanders received grants of land free from Queen Victoria and when they decided to build a home on this land, a water source had to be obtained.

Timber for the building had to come from the large Norfolk Island pine trees, those with long barrels were mostly chosen - that is, trees that have no limbs in its lower reaches and the longer the ‘barrel’, the more timber is harvested from a single tree. Also with no limbs, these trees have no knots, which makes it so much easier to saw up into timber as it was all done by hand (nothing motorised).

These trees are felled using a two-man cross-cut saw with wedges (also called gluts) which are hammered in behind the cross-cut saw to stop the tree ‘sitting’ back down on the saw and jamming it. But they also help to lift the tree up making it easier to fall it in the desired direction and position.

A wooden maul (hammer-like) made from doodwi (ti tree) was used to hammer these wedges in. Doodwi has a very hard curly grain that resists splitting, making it perfect for the job. A tree with a seven inch diameter is about the right size and a steel ferrel is fitted to both ends to further avoid chipping or splitting. A wooden 30 inch long handle is then fitted to the middle of the ‘head’.

The pine tree is then cut into logs of the desired length and rolled onto the frame ready for cutting into flitches before cutting into board timber.

Sometimes these frames are done/built on slopes so that it is easy to roll the logs onto them and as on flatter land a pit is dug underneath so that the person pulling the saw down, thus doing the cutting, has enough room to work in. The person standing above the log has to lift the saw up ready for the person below to pull it back down again. Logs were cut up in this fashion as timber/boards which are easier to transport than big logs.

Once the building site has been chosen the water supply has to be considered. Roofs were usually covered using shingle also split from Norfolk pine, guttering was not readily available. Split bamboo with the internal knots/joints knocked out were often used to fill this requirement.

Most houses built in that period obtained its constant supply of water by digging a well close to the home.

A diviner is sought and some people can do this job and some can’t. I am one of those that can’t and if I place my hand on a person who can divine for water, their ability is immediately robbed away from them. I earth them out so to speak.

Some diviners can tell how deep one has to dig and some can even say how good the underground stream is.

My father was good at divining and his tool preference was a green fork stick from a peach tree. I did ask him if he could stop the stick from pointing to the ground and he said he would try. He did hold the two bits in his hands upright but the single end did bend down pointing to the ground shattering the two ends in his hands that he was still holding upright, shredded! He could also divine using plain wire.

Once the well site is chosen the area has to be flattened off to make a safe working area. A hole with a 66 inch diameter is dug to a depth of 6 feet. A boxing with a diameter of 54 inches is placed inside this hole and 6 inches of concrete was poured in to fill up the space between the boxing and the earth. In the Pitcairners’ day the hole had to be lots bigger so that a sandstone wall could be built inside leaving a four foot, six inch shaft inside.

Three small trees were then cut to 20 foot lengths and about 6 inches in diameter. These are for the sheerlegs. Two are laid out close together with the third in the opposite direction with the tops crossing over about 3 feet from the top. Using a strong rope (about 1 inch) and special knots the poles are tied together. When they are tied together they are slowly raised using the single pole to push the centre higher. As the centre is raised, the two poles close together are gradually moved apart until all three are evenly spaced and by this time the tie at the top is super tight.

A large single ‘block’/pulley is very securely tied to the apex of the 3 sheerlegs while it is still within reach and a rope is threaded through it. The sheerlegs are then very carefully moved around until the loose end of the rope hangs directly over the centre of the now dry concrete/sandstone collar around the 6 foot deep hole.

One of the 3 sheerlegs is positioned in line with the ‘hauling’ path. A post is securely planted next to it and the two are affixed securely together. Another pulley is tied to them (sometimes a hole is cut through the post and a ‘shim’ - the moving wheel inside of a pulley) is set into the post and the rope is passed through the post under the ‘shim’ and then attached to the hauling power… usually a horse!

With pick and shovel, the well can now be started.

A 22 gallon drum is lowered down into the hole and the soil is shovelled in and the horse hauls it to the top where someone reaches in, pulls the bucket/drum onto the ground as the horse backs up, the drum is emptied, and when the digger is ready, it is lowered back down again and the power supply returned to the well top to do it all again and again until the well is dug.

When the load is pulled aside and landed atop the well, it is emptied, the rope is then released from the horse and the horse is turned around and brought back to the well top, turned around again facing the hauling path.

After the load has been emptied out the container is then swung out under the top pulley and the person at the top, who has a 12 inch square piece of sacking hanging off his wrist (by cutting a slit in it and passing his hand through it) can now use this sacking to protect his hand from ‘burning’ as his ‘grip’ governs the pace of the descending container.

Once the container reaches the bottom, the horse is reconnected to the rope ready to haul it back up again. If a truck or tractor is the power source there is no need to unhook or for the well top person to lower the container, as the vehicle just reverses back when ready.

One has to be careful in not overloading the container too heavily if the power source is a horse, because the horse may be well able to haul the load when it first starts off, but if the well is deep the horse may tire before the load reaches the well top. If it runs out of energy, it may not be able to hold the weight, and the load will force the horse to back up and the load will start descending, and this will gather speed and the horse will not  be able to walk backwards fast enough and may fall over and the harness may be ‘ripped off.’

The load will descend very very quickly back down the well endangering the digger below. There is no ‘lock-off’ system on the hauling rope to prevent this from happening. So the right loading is paramount. Only one person can fit in the well at a time. He has to do all the digging and shovelling. The right choice in horse is also imperative. It has to be very docile, well trained, used to heavy work and preferably a clydesdale type horse. A horse that may take fright at any noise or happenings around the work site may bolt and pull the sheerlegs apparatus down.

The drum situated over the middle of the hole at the top acts as a plumb-bob for the digger to insure that the hole stays perpendicular. If anything falls out of the bucket or is knocked over the edge at the top, the ‘well head’ person yells out, the digger stands with his back to the wall and holds the shovel on a 45 degree angle against the wall above his head. This should deflect anything coming down away from his person. Hard hats were not yet invented.

It gets quite humid working in this confined space but for some unknown reason it is not tiring. The sides of the well are kept smooth as it goes down by the careful work with a ‘cutting in spade’ (from the whaling days) or with an ordinary very sharp spade. These walls have stayed that way ever since. No crumbling!

Even on a clear sunny day at about 100 feet down, stars can  be seen when you look up. After the digger hits water the digging continues until the incoming water overwhelms the digger. At this time its a very dirty job as mud continually drops from the drum/hauling container.

Sometimes after a day is finished the water builds up so much that the next day the well can’t be emptied so digging stops. Thats a good well!

Sometimes after the well is finished the sheerlegs are left in place and the power supply is used to haul 22 gallons of water out instead of the windlass and a 4 gallon bucket by one person.

Sometimes a 4th pole is added next to one of the other ‘back’ sheerlegs and ‘treads’ nailed to them to form a ladder to the top. Care must be taken when climbing up and make sure the well cover is in place.

I was up on the top of a 4 legged sheerlegs device guiding the 20 foot lengths of steel piping used on a piston pump to extract water out of the well in a maintenance exercise when the truck driver (being the power source) failed to stop when the rope reached the top pulley and the whole sheerlegs apparatus was pulled down. I was 15 feet above the 4 foot, 6 inch, 120 foot deep well top and had to leap backwards off the top of the sheerlegs as it went over, trying to avoid this open top well. I managed to land on hard ground, unhurt.

As each length of pipe comes up to the well top it is clamped off with a ‘pipe vice’ and the 20 foot length above is unscrewed and lowered down by the power source backing up. Once it is lowered onto the ground, the rope is affixed to the now clamped off pipe, 5 feet down from its top so that when the pipe is 5 feet above the sheerlegs the next length down can be secured by the pipe vice and the whole process repeated.

Water quality has always varied between wells from ‘as good as rainwater’ to ‘salty’. One well at Steels Point up until the 1970s would overflow after heavy rains.. but no more! Some of the dirt dug up in the digging of the well are sometimes spread around the well top for a ‘mound’ to stop anything from ‘flowing’ into the well during heavy rains. 

Each new day of digging is started by ‘pumping’ the well. This is to displace any methane or other gases that may have settled in the well overnight. One method of ‘pumping’ is to lower and raise a leafy branch quickly up and down the well, and another is to toss down buckets of water. Both seem to work.

At least one man has died from gases at the well bottom.

One of the most distinctive features of Norfolk Island's cultural heritage has been its tradition of  shared agricultural garden spaces which represented far more than mere food production – they embodied the island's collective spirit and sustainable approach to resource management.

Gardens were strategically positioned to maximize sun exposure and natural drainage while minimizing wind damage. Typically surrounded by banana plantations as windbreaks, these gardens were worked together by families during planting and harvest seasons.


AUDIO >>> Have a listen now to a recording captured by John Anderson in 1970 with an interview with Merv’s father, Stan Buffett as he speaks about his childhood and living off the land and sea.

A Community United: Fishing, Farming, and Sharing
The social fabric of Norfolk Island was woven through daily practices of cooperation and resource sharing that extended far beyond the communal gardens. This tightly-knit community developed sophisticated systems for collaborative food production and distribution that ensured survival while strengthening social bonds across generations.

Fishing expeditions exemplified the island's collaborative spirit. Crews consisting of members from multiple families would set out in boats built through communal labor. Using techniques refined over generations, these fishing parties targeted different species depending on season and weather conditions. The catch would be brought ashore to share with other community members who also helped to process the fish. Distribution often considered family size, participation in the expedition, and special needs within the community.

Special provisions were made for community members experiencing hardship. When illness struck a family, neighbors would automatically increase their share of contributions to communal work while ensuring the affected family received necessary resources. This safety net operated without formal organization, embedded instead in cultural expectations of mutual support.

Living on an isolated island without modern conveniences like refrigeration and electric appliances, the early Norfolk Islanders developed ingenious methods for food preparation and preservation that sustained their community through all seasons. These techniques, often blended influences from Pitcairn Island and Polynesian traditions and created a unique culinary heritage that defined island life.

But homegrown produce preservation and storage was also a necessity for the earlier penal settlement on the island before the Pitcairners arrived. In Kingston, is what the islanders called ‘dem Mummies’ - convict-built silos.

AUDIO >> Have a listen now as Norfolk Islander, the late Puss Anderson shares his knowledge from his working career which spanned over 40 years as KAVHA Restoration Project Manager. In this audio with, island elder, Ruth McCoy they discuss the silos in Kingston and the importance of storing food for a settlement reliant upon all things homegrown... Enjoy listening to their conversation as spoken in the Norf’k language.

The entire community understood the rhythm of food production and storage, with a deep care and consideration for governing consumption rates to ensure supplies lasted through potentially lean periods of the year’s cycle. This system of traditional knowledge ensured food security despite the island's isolation and limited resources.

AUDIO>> You have just heard the St Barnabas Chapel choir singing one of our favourite island hymns, ‘The Beautiful Stream’.

Visitor's Guide: Respecting Norfolk Island's Precious Water Resources
Understanding the Island's Unique Water Situation
When visiting Norfolk Island, it's essential to recognize that you're entering a community with a fundamentally different relationship to water than most modern destinations. Unlike Australia or other developed regions, Norfolk Island has no large dams or reticulated water supply system. Here, each household is individually responsible for securing, maintaining, and conserving their water supply.

Over 95% of households rely primarily on roof-harvested rainwater collected in tanks. This system, while environmentally sustainable, creates inherent vulnerabilities during dry periods. The underground water supply is carefully protected – new bores and wells can no longer be dug on the island to preserve this limited resource.

During summer months, water restrictions become particularly stringent. What might seem like minor water usage in your daily routine at home can significantly impact a household's water supply on Norfolk Island. Even luxury accommodations operate under these same constraints.

Understanding that water conservation on Norfolk Island isn't merely an environmental practice but a cultural tradition with deep historical roots will enhance your appreciation of local customs. The island's approach to water represents generations of accumulated wisdom about sustainable living in an isolated environment.


As a guest to the island, your mindful water usage demonstrates respect for both the natural environment and the community welcoming you. Many Norfolk Islanders take great pride in their sustainable water practices and appreciate visitors who share this commitment.

Many visitors find that adapting to these water conservation practices provides valuable lessons they carry home, often implementing similar approaches in their daily lives long after their Norfolk Island adventure has concluded.

To end this week’s episode, I’d like to share an audio recited by Merv Buffett in the Norf’k language of one of his poems entitled ‘Cheesecake’.

Thanks so much for joining me this week!