New Zealand - Auckland - Rangitoto Island - 31 December 2009

We caught a 9:15am ferry from the quay to Rangitoto Island. It was a pleasant trip looking over the harbour and islands that dotted the bay.

Rangitoto Island is a dormant volcano, which erupted and formed the island about 600 odd years ago. Not very old!

The ferry pulled into a small wharf and we slowly disembarked and walked along the pier to the road leading to the start of the summit track. The walk took about an hour to reach the summit with increasing better views as one climbed higher. Along the way, there were lava flows and low vegetation. Towards the top the vegetation thicken and became lusher.

The summit view was excellent. A large walking platform provided a number of different viewpoints of the area.

On the way down, we detoured to the lava caves and crawled through one of them. Lots of fun! It was a bit narrow in parts and the rocks were cuttingly sharp. A torch is necessary.

We had a fast walk back to make the 12:45pm ferry return to the city.