General Chat

Huia,

Well done. Sorry to hear you took a tumble though. I have never been to Rangitoto though I have visited friends who look straight at it from their lounge window. What a palaver with the Ferry.



Susan

I went to the doc today as I have had a headache ever since the climb. I probably knocked my head when I fell although I wasnt aware of it, just surprised when I went down. She believes it was dehydration that was affecting me, and she has prescribed stronger painkillers for when I get fed up with the continual headache, which I suspect will last a month or two as it did once before when I got a mild concussion. My other aches and pains are gone.

Huia, well done you, you have my total admiration for your achievement. The photo's are lovely and breathtaking, hope you are fully recovered from all aches and pain's.

My story and photos are now on a blogspot:

http://rangitotoclimb2012.blogspot.co.nz/

When you have clicked on that and gone to the page, then go to the Archive on the right and click on January. The blog starts from the bottom. :-S

Huia
Yes I am but enjoy reading blogs
I currently follow two imparticular one from a lady in Japan and one in USA both of whom, like you take amazing photos.
Take care
Von

No my Relatives haven't been to Rangitoto or at least they haven't mentioned it to me, they sent me photos of various places and it is a beautiful country. They went somewhere on the South Island recently I believe so am hoping for some photos later on when they get back.

Von, I presume you are in England?

Thank you Huia
I found the photos. Blog would be a good plan when you have some time.
Take care
Von

SueMaid, my son has now added a photo he took with his self timer of the 4 of us on the boardwalk at the top. I hope Gaal also took some of me. I must experiment with my camera to see if I can take some self-portraits with it.

Ann, I will have to get hold of a decent map and see if I can work out the approx mileage (we work in kilometres here) that we did, but the boardwalk seemed to go round the cone while going up, so a bit of maths requited there to work out the distance!

Von, I have pm'd my FB name to you. I hope you can find it. Maybe I will put my photos and story on a Blogspot sometime. It is possibly easier for anybody to find that .

Ginnie, have your relatives been up Rangitoto? I think it is my 4th trip up there, but certainly the most memorable.

Thank you, supercrutch Sue. One of the tour guides (we werent on their tour) said they had one woman with a crutch and moonboot. She had broken her ankle on Santorini a week earlier! She made it to the top and down again. If she was on the tour, at least she didnt have the early road bit to walk, just the 300-step boardwalk, which would be quite bad enough. The tour consists of getting on a 'train' towed by a big tractor from the wharf around and up to the beginning of the boardwalk which is where the real climb starts. The tourists can then go to the top and back to their train for the journey down the road and back round to the wharf to get the ferry home. I will do that next time - if there is a next time! :-D

Thank you Huia I have nothing but admiration for you. What an achievement!

Sue x

Thank you Huia for telling us your story, it's sounds a wonderful adventure.I have family in Auckland so love to read about places in New Zealand in particular around Auckland.

Huia
Thank you for posting the details of your adventure. Well done you. It sounds really interesting and I will try and find the photos.
Take care
Von

What an achievement Huia, I expect it feels good to know that you did it, albeit with landing on your back, heat exhaustion I would think. Pity the ferry made your journey more tiring by not stopping at Devonport but YOU DID IT! Well done. And the photos are great too. Not sure if I missed it but what was the complete miliage do you know?

What an adventure, Huia :-) The photos are wonderful and at least you can say you've done it although I didn't see you in any of your photos ;-)

I think we got to the wharf at about 4.00 so we had a long wait. Gaal left me sitting in the shade while she went to take some photos. I decided to go to the loo but another woman said they were out of order so I decided I could hold on until we got to Devonport.

Eventually our boat arrived, but soon after it started there was an announcement that it would not be stopping at Devonport! They asked how many were going there and about 10 of us put up our hands, so we were told when we got to Auckland we were to be the first to get off and would have 3 mins to go to another pier to get another boat back to Devonport.

The trip to Auckland was quite quick, but I wasnt very quick walking when we got off. Luckily Gaal had made herself known to the man from the company who was escorting us to the other boat and she kept waving to him to let him know we were still on our way. There were 3 stairs to climb on the quayside and I didnt know if I could do it!

I managed and the boat waited for us. I was muttering about cruelty to dumb animals. :-(

We were eventually delivered to Devonport (a slower boat) and Gaal managed to buy a takeaway coffee before Peter appeared. I fell in his arms talking about his poor mummy having collapsed on the island (laying it on with a trowel). He had found his cellphone battery was flat and changed it so he could phone some people he was supposed to be meeting in Papakura at 5.00.

We arrived home absolutely exhausted (at least I was). But Gaal and I had been having some good laughs as she is usually the one who falls over when out walking with Peter. It was a very memorable ending to 2012 for me, and I expect for her too. :-D

Huia, saw the pics on fb, what lovely scenery, and how game of you to take such a hike. It must have felt good to be out with your son and friends even if you did get left behind a bit lol, all credit to you cos I don't think I could walk like that these days. Used to love long walks but not up to it these days and I am younger than you are (a little bit)

Hope you aren't too stiff and sore.

Lizxx

As soon as Gaal and Zoe caught us up Peter and Zoe took off while Gaal and I plodded on. I was beginning to weave a bit but although Gaal suggested I stop for a rest I kept going. After a while I decided there was no way I could make it by 3.30 so I decided to have a rest. Having told Gaal I turned to go to the bank at the side of the road but instead I landed flat on my back (apart from the fact that I was wearing a back-pack which cushioned my back). I was rather surprised but not really hurt. Unfortunately when I am down like that it is difficult to get up.

I struggled out of my pack and when a man appeared I asked him if he could help me to my feet, which he and Gaal did. I went and sat on the bank and had another drink (I think I must have been dehydrated). Then flopped back on the moss and shrubs for a rest.

After a few mins I sat up but when it came to standing up I just couldnt manage it as the bank was only a few inches high and I couldnt straighten my knees to stand. Another man appeared so I asked him for help.

We continued down the road and eventually arrived at the wharf. Of course P & Z had gone by then. Apparently they were in time to see one ferry leaving but 2 others waiting to come in. The 2nd one was filled quite quickly but they got on the 3rd which left at 3.40.

By the time we reached the board-walk we had been passed by most, if not all, of the people from our ferry. According to the leaflet which I have since read there are about 300 steps up the board-walk. The views were good, so I had a good excuse to stop occasionally for a rest - to take photos.

More than 2 hours after leaving the ferry Gaal and I reached the summit, where Peter and Zoe were waiting, having had their lunch. While Gaal and I had our lunch and drinks of water not to mention sitting down for the first time, P & Z walked around the crater rim track. After about 15 mins eating and drinking and sitting I got up and took a lot of photos.

Anybody who can find me on FB can see some of my photos. If you want to know how to find them send me a PM and I hope you will be successful.

We headed down. Oh, those steps! :-( My right hip and knee were soon complaining. When we reached the road, Peter suggested he and G and Z go ahead to look at the lava caves and when I reached the turn-off for the caves I wait for them, which I did, and ate my emergency supplies, and drank more water and sat for 30 or 40 mins. Peter was hoping to get the 3.30 ferry back so he came running back from the caves to get me started down the road, leaving the other 2 to catch up.

I had a walking stick to give me some support but my hip and knee still felt worn out. He is younger (naturally, being my son) and fitter and kept telling me to keep moving. I was going as fast as I felt was reasonable in my condition and told him that he should go ahead to get the 3.30 ferry with Zoe (who is the youngest) and Gaal and I would try to get there but would get the 5.30 one if we missed the earlier one (he wanted to make a phone call but couldnt get his cell phone to work from the island).

It was a hot sunny day and we had applied sun block before we started, plus Peter, Zoe and I were wearing sunhats, but Gaal had left hers behind.

I am a slow walker at the best of times so while Peter and Zoe looked at some of the old baches (called cribs by some people) Gaal and I kept walking. We were soon passed by them but we continued to plod on up the road. It is not a sealed road but a rough scoria track with some concrete blocks in places where the traction for the park vehicles is not too good.

The island last erupted about 600 yrs ago and since then the native plants have been gradually regrowing. There are a lot of Pohutukawa trees in flower.

For the benefit of those friends on several threads, and anybody else who is interested, here is my story of the climb:

I set the alarm for 6 a.m as son was going to pick me up at 7.30. Woke at 5 and as I couldnt get back to sleep got up at 5.15. Son arrived at 7.15 with the Gaal who was also camping with him over the hill. They unloaded a lot of their camping stuff into my basement for safe-keeping during the day, and we left just after 7.30.

By arrangement we met Zoe in Papakura and led her to a safe parking place for her car for the day, then she came with us. Peter (son) drove us to Devonport (over the harbour bridge) as there is free all-day parking there for ferry users. Having bought our tickets we then had to wait until the ferry came from Auckland to pick us (and a few hundred other people) up to take us to Rangitoto.

The ferry didnt take us to the usual Rangitoto wharf due to the high swells, and we were landed at Islington Bay, which is a longer walk on a road with little shade. According to the map it takes about 90 mins on that route as against 1 hour on the route from Rangitoto wharf. That route has more shade if I remember correctly.