Well... he wanted to go to Fiji…

It was a little weird having a day with theoretically nothing on the agenda. In ten minutes that changed dramatically. 

Last night I had fully planned on going to church this morning at 10… but then I picked up a flyer on Rangitoto island, which is a short 25 minute ferry ride away from the Auckland wharf. So naturally I planned my entire day last night in the blink of an eye. 

The run this morning was twirly to give it a technical term. I spent way too much time getting completely lost past Albert park by taking the wrong turn (or rather no turn at all) to go directly to the Auckland Domain. I ended up running by the Fonterra building which is the international dairy company that I’m dying to do research (or work) for. Serendipity?

Finally orienting myself, and wishing I had brought my GPS instead of my camera, I ran through the University of Auckland campus (another place I wanted to go to) which was so adorable. While it is situated in the heart of Auckland, it’s completely homey. All the buildings are reminiscent of the quaint wooden Victorian style homes in old Marietta. The political science building looks like something right off of Whitlock Ave! I could also see the Old Arts Building and the Clock Tower which added to the unique architecture. 

Strange enough, to reach the Auckland Domain which is a massive green space, it’s mandatory to cross over a massive highway. I mean, Atlanta style roadworks, not New Zealand standards. A bit ironic, really. The domain is beautiful, I’m sure it would be even better given the proper weather conditions. The rain was spitting on and off which was tolerable but it made for some crummy picture conditions. Setting foot on the park path, I veered to take some photos of the pukekos which were pecking about in the grass and managed to catch a MASSIVE worm. I mean, epic. Running deeper into the property, I found the duck pond, winter garden, lover’s walk and a boardwalk. I went from running underneath oak-like trees to deep in a rainforest track with waterfalls. It was a varied park: it even had a military museum in the center. From the fragments and blurbits that I recall of DC it reminded me of the area because of the massive trees and the architecture. The winter gardens were unfortunately closed until 9 but then again I think I should have gotten my garden fix back in Australia.

I'm a sucker for gardens

Not letting a second go to waste, I stole the handicap shower at Base Auckland and got ready for the day. I meandered down to the Queen’s wharf, past the gorgeous Ferry Building, bought my ticket for the ferry and headed over to esquires for a morning coffee. I sipped on the deliciousness while pouring over the map of Rangitoto that came with my ticket. After scoping out a sushi place for dinner (helllooooo after lunch sales) I hopped on board the ferry: island-bound. The captain gave us a great tour of the harbor including the Auckland Harbor Bridge and the Princes wharf. Unfortunately the ladies behind me were chatting with extreme volume.. and I couldn’t hear half of what the captain said. Although he did point out a lighthouse in the middle of the bay which prior to 1912 had to have someone in it at all times to keep the light attended to.

Finally after enduring the piercing cold wind, the ferry reached the terminal. Getting off without a second to spare, I veered left on the pathway, bound for Flax Point which plays host to a black back gull colony. After tramping all the way out there over every miserable sharp lava rock, no birds. Nothing. Lucky for me the scenery was just gorgeous enough to make up for the lack of resident avians. Along the way there were all sorts of historic homes situated along the shore. Their residents have got to be the luckiest people alive- living on Rangitoto… what a dream.

Rain jacket: check. Umbrella: check. Game face: check.

Making the hike up to the summit a priority, I headed up the hill. Mind you, a very big hill. Stopping a few times to take in the scenery and read a bit about the place I learned about some rock types (aka lava, most is aa lava) as well as some little facts about the area. There are about 50 cones and craters all within 6 km of Rangitoto. That’s a LOT. Rangitoto is the newest and the most unmodified of the 50, being about 600 years old. The place is a conservation area, run by the loved Department of Conservation and is full of rat traps. The kiwis hate rodents and marsupials alike. When I say hate I mean a deep burning hatred which makes me wonder if the roadkill possums were on purpose or an accident…

Death to the rodents!

I took the long way to reach the top, being sure to see everything around the crater before actually hitting the peak. I took Wilson’s Park Track around to reach the outer edge of the crater which was very woodsy, full of kidney ferns among other types of ferns. On the other side of the crater, I took the time to meet an Australian from Melbourne while I was exploring the lava caves. Yes, that’s right. There were caves formed by lava who knows how long ago and they recommend that people bring headlamps (“torches”) to do some off-roading. Not expected to need my headlamp in broad daylight, I neglected to bring it along but instead used the red pre-flash light on my camera which got me through the pitch black cave to the other side.

Salvation!

Leaving the caves behind, I took a tour about the crater which was WINDY. The tropical storm had decided to hit full force at that instant and left me windblown and cold. I went from short sleeves and shorts to shivering underneath my raincoat. Sad. 

I finally made it to the peak, which really didn’t mean a whole lot. Several other people were waiting in the sketchy old military building for the skies to clear. I met a family from Auckland who made fun of my accent (not hard) when I tried to pronounce “Coromandel”. I called it “Coro-man-dell” where the kiwi way to say it is “Coromandul” (say it like you’re trying to get it over with). Throw in a few y’alls and I’m the stereotypical southerner. I am what I am.

Waiting for the weather to change, I met another group comprised of about a half dozen six year old boys and the birthday boy’s mother. She explained to me, laughing, that her son wanted to go to Fiji for his birthday so she jumped at the idea of taking him to Rangitoto for a hike instead. It was precious seeing all the little kids run and take it all in. I would have loved that as a kid. Giving up on the hopes of seeing anything I headed back down for a bit until the weather cleared up. When the rains parted, I booked it back up the hill for a view round two. SUCCESS! I now completely can comprehend why they call Auckland the “City of Sails”.

The view onto the other isle

Having used up almost all my time, I made the descent back down (after getting lost first) to the main wharf. Exhausted, I plopped down in the middle of the inside part of the ferry, ready for Auckland. Upon my return I did some shopping, picked up sushi and headed back to write!