While we wait, Jay and I watch (me rather nervously) the boats swaying to and fro and just the sight of them is almost enough to bring that lovely shade of green back to my face. Soon, the girls arrive and it's all hands on board. We choose seats on the top deck and once we get going, thankfully, it turns out the water's not as loppy as I thought. We serenely sail on past the pretty little seaside village of Devonport and then reach Rangitoto in record time. "Rangitoto" literally translated means "Bloody Sky" in Maori, which is quite fitting, seeing how an epic Maori battle was fought here many moons ago. Today, the island is a peaceful, pretty little place with a handful of baches (holiday homes - for those who didn't see my last entry) peppered along the waterfront amidst the huge ferns and black lava stones.
We have two options: take the land train to see the sights while kicking back, or explore the island by foot. We choose the latter. We take some time to snap a few pics before ascending the summit of the volcano, soaking in all the greenery around us. Let's play another quick round of "Where's Lindo?" shall we?
Walking around the island, I feel like I've stepped back in time, à la Land of the Lost. One of the most amazing things that strikes me as I wander around is the fact that (as in the rest of New Zealand) there is nothing in the forest that will attack and/or eat me! (It's the little things in life that people sometimes take for granted, isn't it?). No bears, coyotes, moose - absolutely NOTHING - will be jumping out at me today, or any day while I'm here, as there are NO natural predators in the country. Hooray! Realizing this has inadvertently added a lil' extra spring to my step. The volcanic rock underfoot makes satisfying crunching sounds as I tread along.
As we walk along, Jay and I and our new friends get to know each other a bit better. I tell the girls a bit about my home (including everything from Downhome to Republic of Doyle), and they tell us about their work in the emergency preparedness field and the barefoot running club in their area (those crazy Winnipegians!). Our excited chatter begins to crescendo when finally we stumble upon the Holy Grail - the entrance to the lava caves! Whipping out our flashlights - or "torches" as they call them here in New Zealand - and headlamps, we dive in like an excited gaggle of Fraggles. It's times like these that I'm grateful I'm not claustrophobic!
Shortly after, we come upon another small cave, which unfortunately is a wee bit too small for us to squeeze into - even though I give it my best shot! We run into a nice, young English couple with a small baby and after they compliment Jay on his Dr. Who t-shirt and we have a little chat about life in New Zealand, we make our way further up towards the summit - but not before stopping yet again to soak in the amazing scenery. I swear, I've never used the word "lush" so much in my life!
If you look closely, you can see the cone of the now dormant volcano.
Along the way, we run into another group of adventurous young Canucks (from British Columbia) and the English couple once again. It seems that everyone from everywhere is out and about enjoying the view today - even though it is shrouded in fog, and a tad windy (feels like home!). Even so, the view from the top does not disappoint. (Click the image below to watch the video.)
After a quick snack, some photos and a chat with fellow hikers, we head back down again, exploring some World War II bunkers along the way. As we get closer to the bottom, we decide to run a little ways because A: It's great exercise, and B: We don't want to risk missing the boat home and having to spend an impromptu night out under the stars. Thankfully, we make it back with a few minutes to spare. We all pile back onto the boat and I decide to be extra adventurous and forgo the Gravol this time. As we sail back, we are treated to the sights of some windsurfers enjoying the waves. Apparently, even the most overcast of days can't keep those Kiwis indoors!
Once we're back on dry land, Christa and Heather tell us about their plans to tour the lovely Land of the Long White Cloud for about three weeks via the Stray bus. They pitch the idea to Jay and I and we all agree it would be awesome to tour the country together, so we decide to mull it over a while. Since Christa and Heather are only in NZ on holiday for a few weeks, we're not sure if we'll be seeing our new friends again, so we say our "goodbyes," "nice to meet you's" and "it's been fun hanging out" before we separate - but not before C and H try to sell us on the Stray bus trip one more time. As Jay and I walk up Queen Street we talk it out, hem and haw and finally come to our decision. We will indeed be Strays with Christa and Heather! We make a mad dash to the IEP office and purchase the same pass from friendly American Katie - who kindly answers all our questions. The bus will pick us up at our hostel this coming Thursday, just six days away. Adventures Ahoy!!!
To see more pictures and video, click here.
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