Robin Hale & Ferooz Afshar write from Embassy Auckland. TIP: double-click on any word to see its meaning.
It was a glorious Friday morning that only Auckland could produce. About 45 students, Brazilians, Colombians, Chinese, Argentineans, Japanese, Koreans, a Kiwi (Robin Hale) who organized the programme and me, an Iranian, met outside school around 9.00 am. We were to take the ferry across to the island at 10.00am, so we had plenty of time to be a bit casual about when we actually gathered.
Rangitoto is Maori for ‘Bloody Sky’. Its emergence from the sea was witnessed by local Maori iwi (tribes) about 600 to 700 years ago. The volcano is not expected to become active again. It is covered, in main, by black lava stones known as scoria; there is not much water on the island so the plants and trees depend on rainfall for their growth.
It sustains the largest forest of pohutukawa trees in the world. There is a programme underway to eradicate all the remaining animals such as, stoats, rabbits, rats and mice in the next few years. (You can find out more on Wikipedia).
Anyway, we strolled down Queen Street to the Ferry building and re-gathered there; with Robin checking the name list to ensure that nobody was left behind. If memory serves me right, only two students did not make it. Their tickets were held for them to use at a later date.
The ferry ride, as always, was very pleasant. The students had scattered all over the boat; some on the outer decks photographing the receding Auckland scene, others sitting inside away from the sunshine and the spray. There was a buzz of anticipation and excitement in the air. The ferry stopped briefly at Devonport to disembark some passengers and to take on further visitors to the island. The sun and the wind promised a very pleasant day, in spite of the weather warning the day before.
At the island Robin informed the students of the departing times of the ferry, emphasizing the last boat out! We then formed different groups and began the ascent up to the crest of the island. Different groups chose different paths up. Some stopped to enter the lava tubes (tunnels), the longest of which is about 50 metres. For the keen photographers there was a lot of plant and insect life to catch their eye.
At the summit Auckland city, across the waters, presented itself as a wonderful backdrop photo opportunity for students who climbed onto the rails and stood in various precarious poses to be filmed and photographed against the spotless blue sky with the Sky Tower poking out behind them. I held my breath!
This was the point at which sandwiches and drinks came out, rest and chatter; students exchanged the wonders of Rangitoto and made suggestions on what to see on the way down.
Most of us, if not all, caught the 12.45 pm ferry back to Auckland; the buzz on the ferry, the flushed and suntanned faces gave evidence to a well-spent day. Surely, a memorable day!
Robin & Ferooz
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