Visit: Rangitoto Island | Auckland, New Zealand




Rangitoto Island, Auckland's youngest and most recognisable volcano, sits proudly off the coast of Auckland CBD in the Hauraki Gulf. 
Just a mere baby at 600 years old, a blink of the eye in terms of Earth's history, it erupted out of the sea and formed the largest volcano in Auckland's volcanic field. 

I like volcanoes and it's quite handy that Auckland has around 50 of them, but this I think is my favourite. Its position and dominant shape make for a great photo from anywhere in Auckland! I was supposed to climb up Rangitoto when I was in Auckland for the first time in June 2017, but alas, a deathly hangover stopped me. 
BUT I finally found myself a hang0ver-free day since I moved over to Auckland in February and got to explore the island for myself. Everyone who I have spoken to who has come to Auckland has always recommend Rangitoto for me so I wanted to see what all the fuss was about! 

How to get there? 

You can get yourself to Rangitoto via Fuller's Ferries from the Downtown Ferry Terminal. The ferry across takes around 25 minutes and provides beautiful views of the city skyline as you leave the harbour and sail past Devonport and across to Rangitoto. 

Return ferry tickets to Rangitoto will cost  you $33 NZD OR if you want to grab yourself a bargain, you can book in the Early Bird service that leaves at 07:30 and pay $23NZD.  
I went roughly around 12pm and got the last ferry back which was plenty of time. 

A more adventurous way (and one I really want to do!) is to Kayak over on a tour and complete the hike to the summit in time for sunset. 


What to do?

Climb to the summit: 
The Summit Track is probably the most popular on Rangitoto. It will take you through the lava fields and forests native to the island. Climb up a fair few steps to reach the summit, but all in the name of a good ass workout! You will be rewarded at the top with sublime (lol don't think i've ever used that word in my life!) panoramic views of the Hauraki Gulf, Waitemata Harbour and Auckland's skyline. 
The walk to the summit will take you roughly 1 hour from the start of the trail. 



Explore the Lava Caves:
Make sure you don't leave the summit of Rangitoto without a visit to the famous lava caves. You can take detour to visit these either on your way up to the summit, or way back down.  Its all sign-posted so you can't miss it! 
Its a rocky path that winds through the forest and leads you to a series of lava caves you can venture into. Take a torch if you want to go in because its very VERY dark! I waited until a family came along so I could walk behind them because I was scared! Good fun though and something different! 
Definitely got Lord of the Ring vibes from the caves and was half-expecting a massive spider, or gang of Orks to grab me in the dark.



Tour:
If you're not up to the hike, you can book onto the Auckland Explorer Tour which combines your ferry ticket with transport around the island with a guide. They will drive you close to the summit over the 4WD tracks where you can enjoy a short (but steep soz) walk up to the Crater Rim Track and then up to the summit. 

There are other coastal walks you can do if you're not up for a climb to the top! 



What to bring?

There is no cafe on the island so make sure if  you're going across for a few hours (which I recommend), you bring plenty of food and water to keep you going! 
Walking boots or runners with good grips - the track is very dusty and rocky and I found I was slipping and sliding everywhere even with runners on. 
Bring plenty of layers just incase the weather turns, but I was absolutely sweating so even shorts and a tank top were too much for me! 
Suncream! I got SO burnt on the walk and even after applying suncream on all day it still got me. 
Camera - gotta get that Insta shot eh! 
Torch / phone with a light if you want to explore the lava caves! 

This will hopefully be the start of more regular New Zealand posts now that I have got my blog back up and running. I accidentally forgot to re-new my domain, so now we've gone to the dark side and stuck with GGoesGlobal.net ffs, not .com 

Thanks for reading & happy travels 

♡ G

Join me on Instagram @gemwills 


& follow me as I start my New Zealand Adventure! 

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