Sunday, we took the ferry over to Rangitoto, the volcano island off Auckland’s coast, to take a hike up and check out the views. It was a pretty hot day, finally feeling like summer now that we were back on the North Island. We went straight to the summit and saw the view from all angles, as I pointed out what we were looking at all around. Then we headed down to check out the lava caves, some pretty cool holes in the lava rock that you could actually climb through and end up someplace else! We got to one that kind of looked like a small deep black hole that just ended and there was a woman sitting there looking after a couple of backpacks. She told us that people had gone in there! About five minutes later a guy and his two kids came down over the hill above the cave. He had a head-lamp and has made his way through to an exit we couldn’t see from where we were standing. He brought Dad over with him and took him back through the other way. We all walked through another, bigger cave that you didn’t need a light to go through, although it would have been useful to see your footing and not bang your head. We then walked back down to the wharf to catch the 3:45 ferry since we had been invited to a bbq at 5pm in Orewa. Dad found out that Dean a friend he’d graduated from high school with, lived just north of Auckland with his wife and daughter and had suggested we all come over to catch up. We went and had a nice kiwi-esque meal of lamb, kumera, and salad followed by pavlova for dessert. Dean and his daughter Pearl (his wife was in Australia) gave us some suggestions on where to go up north. At about 8pm we continued our drive north, stopping for the night at a motel in Whangarei. We were lucky to even find one with reception still open at that hour, since we hadn’t booked anything ahead of time. The first six or seven that we drove by were all closed up! Motel service is a bit different in this country from what you’d expect in the USA. Each is run by a “host” or couple or family and only has a few units. Most have full kitchen facilities in them as well. Also, EVERY host makes sure to ask if you’d like milk for your coffee or tea or whatever in the morning and then takes your small jug of milk and walks you to your room, puts it in the fridge for you and then leaves you with the key. Also, you pay in the morning before you leave!
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| headed into the lava caves |
oops! and with that last photo...I've used my whole 1GB of free space for photos and videos! So unfortunately not more unless I purchase some more space...I guess you'll just have to check them out on Facebook! In case you didn't notice, I've added photos to all previous campervan posts!
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view from the top of Rangitoto, Auckland city in the background
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