I have lived in Auckland all my life and travelled around the country climbing up hill and down dale, and all the while one of the coolest adventures sat right there in the middle of our stunning harbour. Rangitoto Island is New Zealand’s youngest volcano and only emerged from the sea 600 years ago – thankfully it’s now dormant.
Looking out at Rangitoto Island from the many beaches around central Auckland is one of my favourite views of all time but it wasn’t till my 4 year old decided he wanted to climb it for his 5th birthday that I considered changing the perspective of the view.
We normally do the ‘standard’ kids birthday party with family and friends but since this was celebrating my son’s 5th birthday we decided to invite the family along with us. My in-laws thought we were mad ( not the first time ), ‘won’t it be dangerous taking a 5 year old to Rangitoto’… ( only if it starts erupting! ) Anyhow they eventually came round and eight of us set out on our Rangitoto Island adventure on a sunny May day.
We caught the train into town so we didn’t have to worry about parking, and who doesn’t love an adventure that starts off with a train trip. There are no cafes on the island so we had a quick coffee stop before we jumped on the ferry.
I always love being on the water and it’s a great view back to the city from the ferry, with the added bonus of the skipper giving a commentary on points of interest. Of course we couldn’t hear a lot of it over my son’s excitement.
From the minute you step on to the island you realise it’s quite different to anywhere else you have been. The exposed volcanic rock made it feel like we were on the moon – not that I have ever been on the moon – but what I imagine the moon would look like.
There are many different walks on Rangitoto. We did the Summit Walk which was a relatively easy ( bearing in mind we had a just-turned-5 year old and 70 year olds walking with us ) one hour climb to the top where the views of the Hauraki Gulf are stunning. As no birthday celebration is complete without a toast to the birthday boy we had beer and bubbles with our picnic lunch while we enjoyed the view.
On the way back to the ferry we did the side track to the lava caves and my Aunt introduced us to the torch apps on our phones. It was nice to get off the main track and scramble a little bit. This side trip takes about 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour though so allow for this in your walking times if you can. It’s well worth it and the kids loved it.
Then we get a nice rest on the ferry back to the city after a great day of adventuring right on our back door step. Also a great way to celebrate a birthday and share an adventure with family young and old.
Top tips
There is no shop or café on Rangitoto Island so be sure to take enough food and water for the day.
Wear footwear that can cope with rugged lava/scoria terrain.
Don’t miss your ferry, as there is no accommodation on the island and I hear chartered boat trips can be expensive.
