Rangitoto Island

Hey all, I had quite the adventure today. I made my way to Rangitoto Island, northeast of Auckland City in the harbour. It was a 25-minute ferry ride to the 600 year old volcano, the newest island in the area. You could definitely tell, much of the island was covered by large black igneous rocks, remnants of the relatively recent emergence of the island from the sea. The rest of the island was covered by native bush, including plants found only on Rangitoto. Motutapu, a much older island very close to Rangitoto to the east, was a sharp contrast to the black rock fields and forests of Rangitoto. Motutapu is mostly covered with short yellow grass, rolling hills with few trees. In the very blue water of the harbour it looked golden.

Most tourists that go to the island opt for the bus tour; the tramping trails are for those up for a challenge. The rough path and sharp inclines on the way to the summit, and along the coasts were definitely the hardest walk I've had so far in NZ. Here is the path I took, in darker blue.

I took the central path up to the summit, and talk about steep. When I was getting close to the summit I was stopping every 10 minutes to catch my breath before I moved on. The view of the crater and then the surrounding harbour from the summit was worth it though. It was cloudy and raining a little when I got to the top but I could still see for miles and miles. I skipped the lava caves because the torch(flashlight) I bought today wasn't charged out of the package, a common problem for explorers of any age. I got caught in a sudden heavy rainstorm on the way to the east coast, but I had my jacket and it only lasted 20 minutes.

The island looked very tropical at times, but the temperature was in the 70s most of the time, which was great. Since the opossum and wallaby eradication of the 1980s the island has no large animals. While walking through the bush there were no bird calls, and rarely the chirping of insects. It was a very tranquil feeling to hear nothing but the sound of my boots as I made my way. I met two German girls, Anita and Desiree, on the east coast and traveled with them through the uneven and exhausting East Coast Track back to Rangitoto Wharf, where I caught the 3:30 ferry back into the city. I bought groceries for the first time, made a delicious meal, and am now off to clean up, nurse my sunburned hands, and decide where I'm going tomorrow. Take care everyone.