There once was a Tupua couple on the North Island. These Tupua were children of the Fire Gods. One day, while they were home in Auckland, they quarreled and cursed the goddess of fire, Mahuika. The slighted Mahuika petitioned Mataoho, the god of earthquakes and eruptions, for his help. Mataoho created an eruption that swallowed the Tupua couple’s home, creating a hole in Auckland - a lake replaced land. At the same time, the strength of that eruption thrust an island volcano up from the ocean.

In this way, Rangitoto was born.

Rangitoto is a now supposedly extinct volcano near Auckland. The picture featured above, stolen from Google, shows the beautiful island at sunset (or sunrise?). One Monday morning - my definition of morning equates to the afternoon for most - I went with a small fellowship of volunteers. We were eager to climb to the top of that volcano… and we were anxious to throw in and, thus, destroy a ring that we had acquired.

Uh…

Oh. Sorry. That’s the wrong story. I’m short, but I’m not that short. And unlike my brother, my legs aren’t as hairy as a hobbit’s.

Anyway. One Saturday morning (at 11:00am or so), I left UniLodge for the ferry terminal on Quay St. I passed by a Gelato store, did my best to ignore the big ads for a Gelato Burger, and promised myself that I would return later. With a bagged lunch in hand, I boarded the ferry.

We ate our self-made sandwiches on the second deck of the ferry, then proceeded to take pictures as the boat slowly sang its high-pitched farewell to the beautiful city. Yes. These pictures are actually taken from my camera.

That’s my first picture. You can see the dock, the other boats, and the city. I took this from the ferry, so you can see it in the frame.

We’re slowly leaving the city. More tall buildings.

Ah. Finally. We’re far enough away to actually see the skyline. You can see Sky Tower, the big needly thing there. It’s no longer as clear though.

The ferry trip cost us $20 per person. I would guess that’s somewhere between $16-$18 USD, but my estimation skills are horrible. It actually wasn’t too bad… and we got to see a bit of what Devonport looks like. The ferry stopped there first, letting off some passengers and picking up some others.

Devonport, by the way, is a small community in Auckland. It’s one of those places where everyone knows everyone else… but, since I actually did take a trip there, I’ll save Devonport for another post. I forgot to bring my camera, though, so I’ll have to tell that story without any pictures.

Once the ferry left Devonport, we finally landed on the shores of Rangitoto. There were a couple small buildings around the dock… there was a little house, an old truck, bathrooms, and a larger tourist truck thingy that provided a tour of the island for the lazy people.

Surprisingly, I didn’t take that tour. I actually hiked up….

My first impressions?

Did you see Mama Mia? Other than the volcanic rock that made up the island, this place felt like the island in Mama Mia… minus the singing and the locals.

Here’s a bit of the rocky shore.

Once the ferry had left, we had no choice but to make our way up to the top of the volcano. We had three hours until the last ferry left the island, and we had a two hour hike in front of us - an hour up the island and an hour down. Though there were occasional constructed paths (all the paths were undoubtedly man-made), the majority of the trails were tramps over loose, volcanic rock. There were a couple fallen logs in the way and small puddles that remained from the last rainfall. It’s winter in New Zealand, after all… but I definitely prefer this winter to the winter back home.

The perilous, rocky path.

Since Rangitoto is relatively young for a volcano, vegetation’s slow, and animal life is sparse. There are a couple birds… and my imagination warns me that there are killer ants under all the rocks… but we really didn’t see too much wild life.

We did, however, see a pretty tree.

Pretty tree!

There’s this field where ferns are supposed to grow… in the summer. There aren’t any ferns there now… but look at how flat that piece of land is. It’s uncanny.

We were at a rest area with a good view of Auckland. You can just make out the Sky Tower from here.

Oh. And since I said that there were a lot of rocks… I guess I should stop showing you the green, and satisfy the thirsty Geo majors out there.

Volcanic rock surrounded by trees and stuff. You can also see the tip of my finger. That’s how you know I took the picture. My little sister would be proud… Either that, or she’s at home, shaking her head at this.

Oooh. Let’s zoom in all the rocks. Pretty rocks.

Gah. Fine! Here’s one picture of me… and more rocks. This picture’s for my parents… so please just cover me with your thumb. Thank you.

After an hour of strenuous hiking, we finally reached the top. The sudden increase in man-made paths and structures alerted us to our arrival, and a new sound reached our ears. Birds were chirping… and, since we could finally relax for a bit, I figured it was a sign that we had reached Mt. Olympus’ peak.

Things are out of order here… but here’s the walkway that lines the peak.

Oh right. Before we actually reached the volcano’s summit, we reached a crater. It was this big hole in the ground… covered by an impenetrable group of trees. I strained to see the bottom of the crater, but I wasn’t tall enough.

You can just make out the center of the crater.

A pretty bird on the walkway to the summit.

And, finally, the view from the top:

When we finished playing with our evil cameras, we turned around and took the hour hike back down. When we were going up, we told ourselves that the trip the other way would be easier….

Needless to say, my hike down resulted in nearly-twisted ankles. We encountered more unstable rocks on the way down… and my downhill leg muscles suffered. I think we saw two kids trip, fall, and cry. Don’t worry - their parents were with them.

By the time we reached the bottom, my legs were sore… and a big, purple bruise had appeared on my left ankle. We rested while we waited for the ferry to return, walked slowly on, and sat inside the ferry on our way back to the city. I think I napped during that trip….

After that nap, we treated ourselves to some gelato. I used this opportunity to try out the gelato burger. It’s essentially a hot donut with cold gelato in the center. Delicious.

Anyway, I returned back to UniLodge, inspected my bruise, and decided to ignore it. I proceeded to go to fencing that Monday night for some interaction with Kiwi fencers… which is always fun… before I returned home for some much needed sleep.