Auckland is a city built on volcanoes. Don’t panic or worry, that’s just how it is.
The coolest, we reckon, and the non-mainland one, is Rangitoto. How often do you get to scramble up an icon?
Rangitoto is the volcanic cone that dominates the Auckland landscape and has been a symbol of Auckland for as long as any of us can remember. But you don’t need to view it from afar. You can climb it. There’s a lot of scoria, and not a lot of facilities, but the point is to reach the point at the top, not have a five-course dégustation on the way.
When you get to the top – and it’s pretty simple, whether you take the direct route or one of the more gentle, encircling ones – you can then walk around the edge of the crater. Now that's a pathway to awesome.
The climb, all 259 vertical metres of it, takes you through lava fields, forest and lots of scoria. And should you need a diversion/distraction/excuse to stop climbing, peel off the main track and check out the lava caves. Bring a torch.
The whole thing feels moon-like, but then you look across that sparkling gulf and there’s the Sky Tower, like some beacon of reality. Juxtaposition junkies, this one’s for you.
See Auckland from a completely different perspective, and have that strange feeling of being in the city, not just of it.
A final word: check the ferry times, and keep an eye on your timepiece as you scramble over those lava rocks. You don’t want to miss the boat.
