LOGO SLOW-GO      Rangitoto Island           Sat 12 Sept

A glorious spring “day out of the box” attracted twenty-seven trampers to explore the Club’s logo and Auckland’s most prominent natural landmark. We travelled to Rangitoto Island on the 9:30am Fullers ferry, getting off at Rangitoto wharf. As we gathered at the information centre to be briefed by our leaders and commit the day to God, we saw a group of children take their first new season’s swim at the nearby tidal swimming pool. The hour-long walk to the summit was through an unusual and spectacular landscape of clearings of bare jagged volcanic rock and forest growing directly out of the rock - the volcano of Rangitoto last erupted about 750 years ago, this being witnessed by Maoris living on adjoining Motutapu Island. For its size, Rangitoto has very little soil and no streams. About three-quarters of the way up, we took a side track leading to some lava caves. These were caused by lava flows solidifying on the outside, and the still-molten lava flowing out creating a shell. We were able to walk through one long straight cave with a tomo (hole in the roof) in the middle. After the caves, the main track became steeper before coming out at the crater rim. We stopped at a viewing platform, where we could look into the forest-clad crater, before climbing the final flights of wooden steps to the summit. As we ate our lunch we were able to enjoy a 360deg panorama - Auckland with its Sky Tower, the Waitemata Harbour, North Shore, Whangaparaoa Peninsula, Coromandel Peninsula, Motutapu and other islands of the Hauraki Gulf, and the southern coast with the Hunua Ranges. Barbara with the two children Ara and Brendan returned the way they came while the rest of us carried on around the western rim of the crater to join the main Islington Bay - McKenzie Bay road. We followed this track as it gradually descended through bush and jagged rock clearings to the coast at McKenzie Bay, where we had a rest stop. We saw two more children take their plunge for the new season - but they came straight back out of the water! The road back to Rangitoto Wharf was a pleasant couple of hours walk along the coast, with a glade near the beginning and a causeway near the finish. Just past the causeway we followed a 15-min track leading past a large number of quaint old baches - these were put up many years ago by holidaymakers, but were since banned from being sold and are now possibly doomed for destruction in an effort to restore Rangitoto to as close to its natural appearance as possible. We arrived at the Rangitoto wharf with about an  hour to spare before the 5pm ferry back to Auckland. And what else to do but have a well-deserved siesta on the deck beside the now-empty swimming pool. COST: $18 boat fare.