Day 18 - Monday 22 January 2024

Today is the day that I have decided to go to Rangitoto Island; a dormant volcano just off the Auckland coast.

A stop off en route for a coffee, and to grab some snacks (they had Tim Tams that I've heard so much about, so I thought I'd give them a go).

My ferry was due to depart at 10.30, so I was at the ferry dock in plenty of time, and we departed on time for the 25 minute ferry ride to the jetty at Rangitoto Island. I'd been to the ferry office and grabbed a map of Rangitoto Island so I could plan my day. I decided that I'd take the Summit Track, followed by the Crater Rim Track. Then I'd take the Summit Road to McKenzie Bay, and finally the McKenzie Bay Road back to the wharf.

The summit of the volcano is at 259 meters, so I set out along the Summit Track, across old lava flows and through woodland that gave some lovely shade in the heat. 

Slowly the path started to get a lot steeper, and I slowed down and then started needing to take breathers; you don't get hills like this in Norfolk! The signage at the bottom said that it was an hour to the summit; I reached it in 50 minutes, and immediately found shade in an old wartime structure through which a fantastic breeze blew. A snack, time to rehydrate and cool down a bit before I went to explore the summit and capture the fantastic views; well worth the effort of getting up there.

Sun cream reapplied, I left the summit on the Crater Rim Loop Track. The last couple of hundred meters to the summit had been boardwalk and lots of stairs, and the rim track bought me back to this point; rather than going straight back onto the Summit Track, I took a left on another boardwalk and headed down for the Summit Road.

My ferry, the last one of the day, was due to depart at 15:30 so when I arrived at the Summit Road at 13:00 and the sign said that the route I planned to take was 3 hours back to the wharf. I figured that I hike quite quickly, so committed to the original plan on the assumption that it'd be mostly downhill and set off down the hill at some pace. It was a gravel and rocky road, and after a couple of close escapes on rolling my ankle, I slowed the pace a touch. 

I made it to McKenzie Bay in good time (well, I made it to a sign that said McKenzie Bay 300m, and thought the extra 600m there and back may be foolish!), and continued along the 5km back to the wharf. It was here I started to consider whether I'd made a mistake. The temperatures were in the high 20's, the sun was beating down, and fatigue was starting to set in ..... and to make things worse that road was undulating rather than flat; every uphill section was like a dagger to my heart; all I could do was try to keep a rhythm and make good time.

There were no signs indicating distance or time to go along this road, and it turned into a long slog with the occasional stop to take on water, but after each stop it became more and more difficult to start again.

Finally I saw the 14:30 ferry pass a headland, and it looked quite big so I figured I was getting close. Finally, a sign to turn off of the road to the right to the wharf, which claimed to be 15 minutes away; the wharf was finally in sight, so I found a bench 100 metres away at 14:45, and took the weight off of my feet, but the breeze just didn't seem to be cooling me down.

The 15:30 ferry approached, so back to my feet to complete the final 100m, and I could barely move; this eased a little as I made my way to the ferry and boarded. Rather than sit outside as I had on the way out to the island, I decided that the air conditioned cabin would probably be a better idea. They had a bar on board, so I had a couple of cold cans of IPA to try to cool me down from the inside.

On the way back we had a stop at Devonport (yes, it's a naval base here as well), and by the time we returned to the wharf at the Auckland Basin I was actually getting a bit cold. Off the ferry, I was dreading the walk back to the hotel, but now that I had cooled down my legs seemed to work a lot better. A stop off at the food court where I had coffee this morning for a slightly early dinner, and then back to the hotel for a well earned cup of tea.

Checking online, it appears that the loop I did is a recognised 7.4 mile hike. I'm absolutely shattered; the heat today was an absolute killer, and the AC of my room is a blessed relief. Worth it; absolutely. It had been a brilliant day despite that fact that it was a struggle, but that's probably helped to make it so fantastic. I'm just glad I did it in the direction that I did as I think I'd have turned back before the summit if I'd done it the other way.

So, the first hike done, and that will help inform other things I'm planning. I think the 2200 steps up to Sealy Tarns is beyond me when I get to Mount Cook, but I have alternative plans for that. The Tongariro Crossing is definitely out, but again I have other plans there that can leap into action.

One question from the day ..... how come we don't have Tim Tams in the UK; they are wonderful. Thinking about it, it's probably a good thing as I'm not sure I'd be able to resist!