Blogs from Rangitoto, Auckland, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 2

I woke up at 08:25 but stayed in bed reading until about 08:50ish. I had a shower and got dressed, then had two pieces of toast with nutella for breakfast. At 11:20ish, Billy and I left the house to go to Devonport. We bought sandwiches and drinks from a bakery. We met Ranee at the ferry port and had to wait about 10 minutes to get the ferry across to Rangitoto Island. We found out on board that we couldn't buy tickets on the boat as we had a voucher for money off. The crew said that we would have to go all the way to Auckland City to pay for all of the tickets on the way back, but they also said that they would then pay for the ferry from Auckland City to Devonport. ... read more

We'd considered Rangitoto Island one of the big-hitters of the Auckland tourist things-to-do, ... read more

Rangitoto island is visible from Auckland, and is a short ferry ride (about 20 minutes) from Auckland. It last erupted some 800 years ago, and the rock on the island is quite a bit lighter than you would expect due to the air bubbles locked in the rock. This was a pretty new experience to me. You could take some transport fairly high up the peak, but I and others chose to hike it. At the trailhead, it was noted that it would take about an hour to reach the summit. As I headed up and saw the summit in the distance, it didn't seem like I would be able to get there in an hour, but as it turns out, I think it was fairly accurate. I ended up spending about 2 hours and 45 ... read more

With the departure of Jen last week and Sarah's rapidly approaching departure this Wednesday the number of my IEP group is dwindling quickly. I was organizing old emails today and found what I think was the first correspondence I received from Sarah more than a year ago, an invitation to her Halloween Party. From there we’ve seen a number of adventure (or misadventures, depending on who you ask); there was of course a couple Halloween parties, the most recent of which got me in trouble with another friend, the always unforgettable two week trek thru the south island, and etc….. Today, a group of Sarah’s friends took her out to Rangitoto Island for a hike to the summit and small picnic lunch. Despite the forecast for rain and a slight headache from the night before (Sony ... read more

I got a solid 10+ hours of sleep last night and I felt amazing this morning! But now I am exhausted because Paul and I hicked about 5 hours today, straight just about to. My legs are incredibly sore and my feet hurt when I walk, but I will sleep well tonight. Paul and I took a ferry this morning to an Island called Rangitoto, which means Blood Red Sky in Maori. This is because the volcano that created the island erupted as recently as 600 years ago, and the Maori saw the eruption, it is assumed. I added some pictures so that you can see the beautiful island. The trails were pretty rough in parts because there was lava rock all over the place, but once we got near the summit the trails were dirt ... read more