Rangitoto
As it was predicted by the weather forecast that it was going to rain later in the afternoon I decided to get the early Fuller's ferry from downtown Auckland to the nearby nature reserve island of Rangitoto.

Rangitoto is a relatively recent volcanic island which was formed about 500 years ago when the Maori people were there to osberve it. It is 259 metres high and is formed of black basaltic rock, Now it is uninhabited and hosts 200 species of trees and plants including the now rare Pohutakawa - the New Zealand Christmas tree which sprouts vivid red flowers in December . It was used as a military observation post in the second world war waiting for a Japanese inavasion which never came. Anyway a nice walk down Queen street again took me to the Fuller's ferry terminal where I bought a ticket and set off on a nice ferry journey via the posh suburb of Devonport to Rangitoto. We got good views of Auckland as we were pulling away. The sea was a little choppy but not too rough and in 20 minutes we had arrived. The captain warned us to note the other two times the ferry would return for people as otherwise we'd have an interetsing night on the island !

The map I'd got from the ferry terminal showed several walks and I opted initially for the 30 minute walk to the top of the mountain via the summit track with a detour to some lava caves on the way. I am showing the view along the walk up to the summit with Auckland seen in the distance and in the foreground one of the many the lava fields that dot the landscape. There are heavily forested areas as well and the isalnd feels utterly untouched. The island is utterly quiet with no sound of the sea audible once you are in the interior with only an occasional bird call or insect noise !. On my way up through the forest I detour as planned to the lava caves but there are disappointing - just a tunnel through volcanic rock - and I have forgotten to get a torch so I cannot see much.

I cannot say the same about the summit itself ! Once you get to the top there is a 200 foot deep crater covered with vegetation which you can look down into from a viewing platform. There is also a crater rim walk allows you to look all around the islland. And then there is a large viewing platform around the old military observation post where the best views of Auckland are to be had. I ask one of the other visitors if they could take a picture of me there and you can see the result, me with my new Macpac rucksack and my really cool Buff scarf.

As there are still some more hours before the last boat back I decide to walk clockwise round the island down from the summit along the summit road and hald have an idea I could go down to the beach and shipwrecks of Boulder bay. However the nice long walk along the road makes me realise I would not be able to do the walk in time to return back to the boat so I walk along via Islington Bay road back to the ferry terminal. Once there as there are still 2 more hours to kill so I walk clockwise up along the McKenzie Bay road .

Along this road I pass past some of the old beach huts (called 'bachs' by the Kiwis pronounced as you would say 'bachelor') where people used to live or use as holiday homes. Walking past them I realise there are hundreds of Fressias growing wild around the old huts with a most amazing smell. One of the bach houses is open to visitors with the old furnture, magazines, etc still there to give people an idea of what life was like there. The Rangitoto Island Conservation Trust web-site gives some more information. It also has a few old beach houses In NZ (unlike Malta where I hail from ) a nature reserve is what it means and people who had built holiday homes there without permission, even though they had been there for many years had to pull them down.

I then walk past Flax point which has a large black gull colony nesting there. The gulls are numerous and they nest amongst some pretty vicous volcanic rocks so I do not try and pretend I am an intrepid wildlife photographer and risk my new walking shoes, my camera and my return journey. I walk along for about half an hour and decide to return back to leave me 30 minutes grace before the ferry returned. A light rain has started by now and luckily my waterproof hat that I'd got from the UK is enough to keep the worst rain off me. I only have to wait for the ferry for about 15 minutes and after an uneventful journey back I find myself going up Queen Street again.

I had promised myself to have one meal in a cafe or resturant a week and I decide to try out il Mee which is one of the Korean restuarants at the top end of Queen Street. (the link is to a really cool web- site which allows you to take a virtual walk up Queen Street by moving the scroll bar at the bottom and yopu can even see il Mee restuarant (keep your cursor hovering over the shops and the names will appear). The food is cheap (though not the beer or soft drinks) and the service friendly. I was told my first two choices were too big for one person. I decided on squid and some other meat dish as a starter and then realise each of these were full main dishes in themselves though at $NZ21 in total I was not complaining. I ask for the squid to be put in a polystrene box and take it back home with me where it will enhance a nice salad the following evening. A nice day in a really nice part of Auckland. New Zealand is turning out very nicely indeed.

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