New Zealand—Auckland January 30, 2025

 Auckland, January 30, 2025

Today was a "check out" and "hang out" day. So, what I mean by that is we didn't have anything scheduled, especially after walking over 6 miles yesterday, part of which was in 80+ heat up Rangitoto Island's volcano summit. So today, our plan was to purchase toothpaste and more sunscreen. New Zealand's sunshine (even on cloudy days) is intense and we were warned by Australians and locals to make sure we had hats and lots of sunscreen.

So, we heeded their advice and started our day at The Chemist, an AMAZING drug store! If they don't have it you don't need it. After that we walked two blocks up to Sky City (where the tower is) to find out where our Intercity bus departs Saturday for our next destination, Paihia. We found the bus station and also admired the Lunar New Year displays at the hotel connected to the bus station. And finally, our last "check out" was finding the boat to the bird sanctuary on Tiritiri Matangi Island. 

Preparing for the next day's excursion is normal for us, and holy cow it paid off today. 

We walked to the Explore excursion kiosk to confirm our departure time and discovered that we were scheduled to leave from a harbor 40 minutes away. What?! The clerk at Explore smiled and said she'd simply change our reservation and then printed new tickets. Now all we have to do Friday morning is take a 12 minute walk to the wharf and board our boat. Phew!

All our "check outs" complete we began our "hang out" day. 

We walked along the Auckland harbor in search of a hat for Marie and found one. As I said earlier, we were warned that the sun is intense here. I brought my hiking hat with long brim, but we wanted to make sure Marie was covered literally and figuratively. Hat purchased we headed for the Devonport ferry. Our neighbor Michele visited this Auckland suburb in March 2024 and said it was a cute place to hang out. And she was right! The ferry crossing is about 15 minutes, and while standing in line to board we met Roderick, a local curious about where we were from. We had a nice conversation in line and on the ferry. 

We spent several hours hanging out in Devonport, walking along its harbor, local park, and up and down the main street where we discovered a pub and enjoyed another conversation with Sarah, a local university student. 

That's the story of today, our "check out" and "hang out" day. When traveling it's always a good idea to just have a day that's wide open, an easy day where we only walked 4+ miles.

So here are some pictures of our day.

Taken from the street on way to bus station.

Sky City Hotel had a great Lunar New Year display!

Denny's or The Cut restaurant? You decide.

We dropped into the Cathedral because it was on our way.

The boat we'll take Friday to the bird sanctuary.

Maybe we'll stop here tomorrow.

Devonport ferry pier.

An Australian Banyan tree, cousin of Old Albert.

This is Old Albert (1883). Read about him here.

This miniature sculpture is about 3' wide and 18" high.

It was 86F so we had to stop for refreshments.

Formerly Devonport's Bank of New Zealand, 1926.

Art Deco Old Devonport Post Office (1938).

Beach next to ferry pier.

Here comes our ferry.

Wish this was our ferry.

New Zealand—Auckland January 29, 2025

We're summit bound today.

Auckland, January 29, 2025

After breakfast I spent 45 minutes on the phone in our hotel's reception desk talking with a Consumer Cellular technician trying to figure out why our phones are not working here even though I made those arrangements prior to arriving. Long story short, our phones now work and we can make calls, send and receive texts, and use Maps if needed. Technology is a boon when it works, but when it doesn't it's a bugger.

Today we took a ferry to Rangitoto Island and climbed to the 700ft summit of its 600 year old sleeping giant. That's how the brochure refers to this extinct volcano. The island was used during WWII as a post for Americans, and at the summit of the volcano, A Fire Command Post directed gun crews on adjoining Motutaapu and Waiheke Islands and Whangaparaoa Pennisula to protect Auckland and ally vessels. Observers also kept an eye on enemy vessels, plotting their courses and speeds. This concrete bunker offers shade for tourists today.

The island has a fascinating biological and Maori history well worth a read here. It is a preserve today and protected. We had to check the bottom of our shoes prior to boarding the ferry to make sure we wouldn't contaminate the island with seeds, grasses, and mud from off island. Visitors can arrange to stay in small houses called "baches," legally questionable holiday homes built in the 20's & 30's. None of them have running water and those visiting for a day or overnight must carry in everything they need and leave no trace of their visit.

You'll see from the pictures that this is a volcanic island where the trail crosses lava fields, through scrub, and small trees. As I said, you can read about Rangitoto's biology from the link above and here. (again)

Breakfast room at Holiday Inn Express.

Holiday Inn Express offers gluten free breakfast items, too.

Sky Tower is 1,076' tall.

This is probably a racing boat; there's enough crew to make it so.

This ocean-going cargo ship moored opposite cruise ship.

Iconic Auckland view from the harbor.

The trail cuts through this lava flow.

Plants grow out of lava.

View half way up to the summit.

Really? My reward for the climb?

Auckland from the 750' summit.

The concrete Fire Command Post bunker.

Just loved the color of the grasses of Motutapu Island.

The steps down from summit.

The trail back down after the steps.

Just a reminder of the ruggedness of trail.

The volcano from the ferry with holiday house on beach.

Just another view of Rangitoto from the ferry.

The working harbor is adjacent to the tourist area.

Typical ferry that carries commuters and visitors to neighboring islands.