Rangitoto Island - Bache Houses

---

Having arrived in Christchurch in the dark I find myself leaving in the dark too as I have an early morning flight to catch back to Auckland on North Island. It feels really sad to be leaving South Island behind. I've had such an amazing time, seen pristine, stunning scenery, kayaked on a glacier lake, cruised on the stupendous Milford Sound, seen more cute kiwis, hiked to see glaciers teetering on the edges of mountains seemingly about to slide off, rode the trams in Christchurch, seen amazing wildlife on the Otago peninsual from yellow eyed penguins to hooker sealions and royal albatross. Oh my, it's been so awesome.

But home I have to go and Auckland is my first stop before an evening flight heading off to Beijing. BUT I do have a whole day left to enjoy in New Zealand and so I chuck my luggage in storage at the airport and catch the Skybus into town. I take it right to the end of the line at the harbour as I'm really hoping to get myself a ferry out to Rangitoto volcanic island if there's time. I'm in luck, there's ferries running today and they fit perfectly time wise, so I get my ticket, stock up on grub and drink (no shops on the island - sounds familiar) and wait chatting with a lovely old couple and their grandson who are also visiting the island today.

Soon we are aboard and I head straight up to the open air top deck. As we leave the harbour area we get a brilliant panoramic view of Auckland's skyline, tall buildings twinkling sunshine off their many windows. The Skytower dead centre. I'm hoping to go up it if there's time. Suddenly we start to move a lot faster, obviously no speed limits out here! Hats are quickly taken off and put in bags before they blow off into the distance. The harbour is busy with small speed boats whizzing up and down and off in the distance near an island are hundreds of sailing boats, their sails making them look like the leaves carried by leaf cutter ants, bobbing about in a long line. I guess they are racing - this is a very popular place for sailing, a mecca for the sport in fact, with America's Cup sailing boats available to take people out for buzz if sailings their thing. It's not mine so my eyes are turned the other way towards the looming island of Rangitoto, its volcanic peak very obvious on the skyline. We have a brief stop to pick up passengers at another bay and then we are whizzing off again towards the island. It seems really long, the edges of the mountain splaying out and out and out into the sea on all sides.

As we get closer I can see some of the Bache Houses I've been reading about. They are small, wooden, chalet style buildings, made by hand by families who have been coming out to the island for holidays since the 1920s. The history of these houses on Rangitoto Island is fascinating. At that time the government granted a number of families the rights to build small 'bache' summer houses on plots of land. Quite a little community built up and treasured holidays were had by the families, photos showing large groups of children playing island games, roaming free and having a wonderful time. In the 1930s the government decided it had mistakenly granted the permissions to build on the plots of land on the island and tried to make the island families demolish their buildings. They weren't having any of this and protested their right to be on the island. Eventually a compromise was reached that the houses could not be sold or rented out and had to stay in the family the permission was originally granted to. If a family ceased to continue using their bache house then it was to be demolished, eventually all the houses would therefore supposedly disappear over time. During the 1970s quite a few of the houses sadly were demolished, but many of the children and grandchildren of the original families continued to use the bache houses and an amazing little community was built up. In more recent years the cultural importance of the houses and the history of the community has been recognised as something worth preserving and now if a house becomes vacant it is taken on by the government and volunteers restore them. These properties CAN be rented out to outsiders, but the original houses still used by the families can't be.

We pull alongside a very long wooden and metal jetty and disembark for our island experience. Most people head off towards the path that leads up to the top of the volcano, but I scoot straight off to the left along a shoreside footpath that wends its way around the side of the island where the bache houses are. I know there are few geocaches hidden along the way too. The houses are gorgeous, all painted different colours and with many 'heathe robinson' style additions, seating etc. Each house has a little plaque with an old photo of the original family member and a potted history of their house and what's happened to it over the years. Where there have been houses demolished there is a plaque explaining what used to be there and who used to own it. It's fascinating.

I reach one house and there's a middle aged guy sat on the bench outside his bache house reading his paper and so I stop to have a chat with him. As soon as he learns I used to live on a little island too he invites me to have a look around his little wooden house. John Walchester's family have three houses on Rangitoto, one built by his grandfather, and two, including the one he now owns, built by his father and uncle. His was actually the last house to be built on the island. I learn that 'bache' is taken from 'bachelor' and is from the farm hand houses that workers were allowed to build so they could live close to their work. Most of them were bachelors, hence the name 'baches'. He pronounced it 'betch' rather than 'batch' as I'd been saying, but that could just have been his NZ accent of course. We traded island stories and found quite a few similarities, for example using shipping container materials for water butts - most of the baches on Rangitoto use the metal liners of old china packing crates (we used large plastic orange juice containers on Bardsey Island). I find that the practice of collecting drift wood and placing it in the shape of your initial to 'claim' it for collection later is also used by Rangitoto islanders. They don't have electricity but use the same kind of lamps we used on Bardsey and candles too of course. I had to take my shoes off before going inside because he doesn't have a hoover and it takes ages sweeping up otherwise. I told John about our 'fududuh' sweeper thing we had on Bardsey! That's nicked from Eddy Izard - check it out on YouTube. He also showed me his shed, full of treasures in case of things breaking and needing mending. All the islanders have them and they all know where each other's keys are hidden so they can help themselves to essentials in case of emergency mending being needed. It's such a long way from the the mainland that you need to be self sufficient in making and mending when things go wrong or break.

I'm so pleased to have actually met one of the bache residents. What a lovely experience to find out that little islands like this are enjoyed by people on opposite sides of the world in very similar ways and treasured for the unique lifestyle they offer.

I say good bye to John and set off to find my geocaches. It's soooo hot I almost turn back to find more shade but I'm glad I keep going as I get to a lovely open area with a lagoon and a great view of the peak of the volcano. I forgot to mention that the whole island is made up of black, holey volcanic rock. Paths have been cut through it so that you don't have to clamber over it (pretty rough, knobbly and uneven when you do venture off the path - i.e. when hunting for geocaches!). I spot some stoat traps with eggs as the bait. There aren't any predators on the island, but these are just a precautionary measure 'just in case'. I see what at first look like choughs perched on a rock - that can't be right I think, so take a better look as I get closer. They are all black oyster catchers with red legs, beaks and eyes. They look so odd, exactly like our oyster catchers, just ALL black. I also see some more of the pied shag I'd seen in other parts of the country. The island vegetation is really interesting and quite different from most I've seen in New Zealand so far. Much of it is succulents of some sort and the trees are odd looking too, quite short, gnarled and curled bendy branches.

I find my geocaches then head into the trees, where a bache used to stand, for some shade to have my picnic lunch. I can see the Auckland skyline from here and am surprised to see it bounded by two large hills on each side, the Skytower exactly in the middle. I realise that if I'm quick I can make the earlier boat, giving me time to go up the Skytower before I have to head back to the airport to catch my flight. So I make my way back along the twisting shore line path, say another 'tarra' to John as I pass and hop on board the ferry to be whizzed back to the mainland. Cracking day out and brilliant to actually meet one of the islanders. Thanks John for your hospitality. I loved finding out about the bache community and getting another island experience. Wonderful.

And so to the Skytower. Standing at the bottom looking up I realise just how huge it is (328m to be precise). Inside the base of the tower, once through the souvenir shop, I get my ticket and make my way to the lift - thankfully no stair climbing! Inside I find there is a glass floored area to stand on as you are taken up the tower. There's also a bit that isn't glass floor. It's pretty quick and as I'm braving the glass floor, looking down makes me feel quite giddy. This feeling is intensified as I walk out onto the viewing platform area. It's all enclosed and indoors so there's absolutely no way I can fall, but I still feel slightly nauseous as I look down to the city below. It isn't swaying but it feels like it is. It's really quite a weird feeling. There are more glass floor sections at the edges of the platform and I really have to steal myself to walk on and then sit on (for a photo) the glass panel. Suddenly we see a person 'falling' outside the building. They are on a controlled bungy jump, with two wires, one on each side of them guiding them down to a red target on the ground below. They slow to a halt just as they reach the bottom. It looks absolutely horrendous! WHY do people feel the need to do these things? Insane! You can also go up to the next platform area which is outside and put on a harness that attaches to a wire that runs round the edge and walk with no barriers or anything. They even get people to lean out off the edge! CRAZY! No thanks!

And so my amazing trip to New Zealand comes to an end. I have another two long haul, utterly tedious flights to get through. Same films in every single flight so I have to get creative with my choices. So many highlights and so many wonderful memories to treasure, my Journey to Middle Earth complete.

---