Auckland and Rangitoto Island

Arriving back in Auckland, I planned on living the big city life (namely eating, drinking, and shopping) for the rest of my time there. But somewhere along my NZ travels, I developed a strong sense of outdoorsiness. I now just wanted to hike, see animals, and be one with nature. So I opted for a quick little hike on Rangitoto island, just a ferry ride away from the city. Rangitoto is an volcanic island which erupted probably just 600 years ago (and is hopefully not due any minute now). I figured it shouldn't be that exhausting, especially since I had conquered an entire rain forest and glacier just days before!! So I hopped on the ferry actually carrying shopping bags, thinking I'd just be going on a little walk. A little walk to the top of a volcano.

Once on the Island, I first took a look at some preserved Baches (little holiday houses) from the 1920s and 30s, then started towards the top of the island. Walking paths were littered with these pumicey turd like stones from former volcanic activity. It was pretty warm out, I had only a small bottle of water with me, and my shoes proved to be inappropriate volcanic wear for bunion sufferers. And it was a bit more of an excursion than I was expecting, probably because it was so hot out. So make sure you bring plenty of water! A bit over an hour to the top, but i finally made it.







I was half expecting the crater to be a hot and steamy deep hole that you could peer down into, see bubbling lava, complete with undiscovered tribesmen preforming a virgin sacrifice on the edge. But alas, this is what I saw. Funny enough, there was a picture of the same crater just 100 years ago and there were no trees on it at all. Weird.



After making it to the crater, you can continue to a lookout area with 360 degree views. Here you see a great view of the entire city of Auckland as well as other surrounding islands. Needless to say, the walk down was much easier.






Once back in the City, I headed to the observatory, which is in the tallest building in the Southern Hemisphere. In true New Zealand fashion, you can actually jump off of it. I passed.










Auckland, you're a great city, and I hope we meet again.