Rangitoto

One thing you may not know about Auckland is that the city is surrounded by about 50 volcanos that are visible around the city as hills and islands in the harbour. The youngest volcano is about 600 years old. It's called Rangitoto, and is accessible by ferry for day hikes. I managed to drag my lazy ass out of bed and onto the first ferry at 9:15, which put me on the island just before ten. Perfect for a day of exploring the volcano!

Near the harbour are small little houses called 'bachs' that were built in the early 20^th century. Some have been demolished, but others still show evidence of being lived in. They're cute little cottages, and other than the waves of tourists who come to explore the island every day, it would be a nice 'away from it all' place to live that is still really close to the conveniences of Auckland. I took the long route up to the top of the crater, which led me along the shores of the island on a path surrounded by black volcanic rock, through a gorgeous grove of Pohutukawa trees, and past a lighthouse. It also had great views of the Auckland CBD. Eventually, the path turned inland and I started to climb up. Near the top were the lava caves, which are natural tunnels that somehow developed out of the molten lava back when the volcano was still visibly active. The caves were cool because they were just long enough that you could be in the dark while still being able to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

From the caves, I headed up to the top of the crater, which has an absolutely spectacular 360 degree view. I had a quick picnic lunch, ran out of water (it was a very hot and humid day), and decided to continue on since I had to be back for the last ferry at 3:30. I wanted to check out the bay on the opposite side of the island, but sadly I didn't have enough time. I took a longer route back to the wharf so I could see something different, but halfway to the ferry I was hit with a wave of dehydrated exhaustion. It turns out I went on about a 13 km hike around the island, so no wonder I was tired.

When I got back to my hostel, I had a grand reunion with water and rested in my bed. About an hour later, it became apparent that the sunscreen I had put on my shoulders had rubbed off and the sunscreen I neglected to put on my arms was coming back to teach me a lesson. Sun burn. My poor, poor red arms. I'll never learn.