Rangitoto

Just before we left New Zealand we decided to visit the island of Rangitoto, we actually went to the harbour planning to go to another island but thought  Rangitoto sounded more interesting,  as it was created when a volcano erupted. The whole island is made of volcanic rock which is very black and rugged looking, it reminded me of bits of broken toffee,  the way that it heaps and clumps together. It is the youngest volcano in the Auckland volcanic field. 

The island is pest free, with the Department of Conservation putting a lot of effort  into clearing it  of animals that would threaten native species especially birds who are easy prey. These pests such as possums and rats were trapped and traps can still be seen around the island, as the situation is constantly being monitored to ensure it remains clear. 

On the way to the top you can go off to some lava caves. At the first section there were three openings, one just went in a short way and you could easily see the back, one looked blocked by a tree root and the third was very small. Undeterred by its smallness David scurried in, he likes exploring caves and seemed to be gone for ages while I stood outside speaking to other people who came down,  so by the time he reappeared he was met by a small audience. 

We then walked a little bit further,  where you could crawl through another section which actually led to the initial cave, that looked like it was blocked by the tree root. There were two young ladies dithering about going through the tunnel but were happy when I said I would go before them after David. It was a tight squeeze and I ripped my rucksack on the roof of the cave but it was interesting especially squeezing past the tree root. 

It was a steep climb to the summit but the view at the top was amazing with beautiful views over the sea. At the top you stand on the edge of the crater and can look down into it, the crater is full of trees and plants. The day we were there the walk around the crater was blocked off but we could still stand on the viewing platform which overlooks the crater. 

After a short time at the top admiring the view we went back down to the point where the ferry would pick us up.  We were going to explore the Bach houses down there, these are small houses that people had on the coastline, like beach houses. Apparently they got the name Bach houses, as initially it was bachelors who used them. In the past on the island there was quite a community of families who used them but nowadays no-one lives on the island and you are not even allowed to camp on it. When we got to the bottom though there was a Ranger beckoning to us, we went over to him and he told it was too windy for us to be picked up from that area, so they were transporting everyone to another point on the other side of the island. We had to climb onto a carriage thing being towed by a tractor along with other tourists to be taken to the other  wharf. This actually was really good as we got a tour of the island with the tractor driver talking to us and explaining aspects of the island as we drove along.

The view from this more sheltered section of the island was stunning so it was nice sitting there waiting for the ferry.