Rather interesting landscape, much of it black volcanic rock similar to the field near Terrace, BC. The well-marked trail included some of this rock which challenged the ankles somewhat. My younger and more fit sister practically ran up the hill and left me gasping in her jet trails. Heh. Well, not quite, but the extra age and weight did leave me huffing and puffing more than I liked. The payoff however was worth it; gorgeous vistas along the way and especially at the top. I tried a single tracking 360deg shot on video from the summit. Didn't turn out badly, but not sure if I can post vid on this blog. However, see pictures at blog end of our lovely day on Mt. Rangitoto.
Our leisurely ramble back down to the wharf included a short detour into some lava caves which were lined with ankle-busing uneven black rock. Once we'd got halfway into first cave we decided less was more in our case. We backed out after one rather than do the string of two or three. Didn't help that we had rather weak torches (flashlights). An old cheap Nokia phone does not throw off as much of a flashlight as an iPhone. I will give Apple that. Back at sea level, we Walked past a few of the historic bach's (cabins) near the wharf and hopped aboard the 3:45 ferry back to mainland.
Since the boat stopped at Devonport, a lovely little suburb I'd visited last trip, I convinced Estelle that a little wander might be in order. We got some souvenir shopping in at a dollar store, found the Devonport Chocolate factory and a spiffy Irish pub called Patriot. We enjoyed a Guinness (Estelle) and an Isaac's cider (moi) in a darling back courtyard/beer garden. It had clouded over by then but was a perfect temperature (low 20's) for sitting outdoors. I'd noticed earlier in day that a screw had fallen out of my glasses, so Estelle set about doing microsurgery with a $3 eyeglass repair kit from the dollar store.
We walked a bit more along the waterfront past some gorgeous old Devonport homes and hopped aboard the ferry back to downtown Auckland just after 6pm.
Back on shore we decided to stroll up Queen St. to find dinner. After a few minutes I realized we'd save time by consulting Lonely Planet guide. We soon found ourselves at a large Asian food court and enjoyed a fabulous chicken/veg plate at a Thai restaurant. Friendly service and really fresh food for a whopping $10. As I type this, hours later, I'm still feeling stuffed.
Getting back to 34 Symonds St. (Keg and Mary's place) was slightly arduous. We decided to get as far as we could on transit, and fortunately were able to get right into our suburb (Onehunga) for free. However, we were mapless and not sure how far it was to Symonds St. The convenience store clerk was not so helpful, and we eventually decided to phone a taxi from a nearby Countdown (grocery store). We arrived home right around the same time as Keg and Mary. Turns out they didn't go to a play as previously planned, but ended up in Devonport just after we'd left.
Estelle's cocooned in several blankets and a sleep mask, and I'll soon be in the land of nod. What a lovely day we have spent..
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