Kevin very kindly drove me into town 2 hours before my bus was due so, having left my luggage at the i-Site office (a service some of them offer) I waited out the time in the library. I did question, this morning, why I was going all the way to Auckland for 3 nights but had decided I’d go to the central library there to do some more family research. I’d emailed the library and received some really useful information from a librarian at another site but she’d said it might be an idea if I did more digging at the main Auckland library.
The bus left at 1240 with an amiable driver. I’ll be doing this exact same journey on 11th December for a night’s stay in Auckland prior to a trip to going to the Bay of Islands. The bus was a double decker and I was fortunate to get a seat upstairs in the front to enjoy the views along the way, passing through some of the places I’d stayed at. In Auckland I’d booked 3 nights in a reasonably cheap hotel called Econo Lodge which beat the Ibis Budget Hotel I’d stayed at twice before. I read the reviews again this morning and was a little dismayed to see that one person had said he’d have been better off staying in a hostel as the room wasn’t big enough to open his suitcase, but generally people were commenting on the friendliness of the staff which, for me, is very important. Anyway, you pay your money and you take your choice!
The room was certainly small but perfectly fine for 3 nights. I went on the lookout for somewhere to eat that didn’t sell burgers, chips or pizza and found it quite difficult! I remember thinking on my trip here 26 years ago how healthy the food in New Zealand was. Now it seems quite difficult to find good cheap food. So, after walking around and getting hungrier I ended up at a place I’d been to before which is apparently known for its beer. I ordered the same food as before….mushroom burger and kumara fries! I briefly chatted to a couple of chaps, one originally from West Sussex and the other from Oz.
On Monday morning I checked out TripAdvisor for a nice place to have breakfast as, disappointingly, the place I went to before had just closed in order to reopen as a vegetarian restaurant. ‘Odette’s’ had good reviews so I went there. It was lovely inside but, reading the menu, seemed quite pretentious.
An American family, who seemed flush, sat nearby. I heard the man ask the waitress what halloumi and harissa were. They proceeded to order chips….now there’s a surprise although, from the menu, not just any old chips!
I decided, as the weather is so nice, I really should visit one of the islands near Auckland. The Hauraki Gulf has more than 15. I walked down to the ferry terminal and bought a ticket to go to Rangitoto tomorrow then walked to the Central Library. I told two librarians, Shona and Kim, about my adoptive family history, information gleaned thus far and the help provided by one of their colleagues based in another library. They assisted with research although didn’t get much more information but told me about some useful websites, particularly one for searching newspaper articles going back to the 1800s.
As I went down the escalator for lunch, on the next floor down I spotted a Citizen’s Advice area and a sign about immigration. Not that I’m pondering immigrating here but had been trying to find out about extending a second visit from 3 to 6 months on the South Island and at what stage to do that and how. I’d checked the Immigration NZ website back in England and discovered I could stay for 9 months in total within an 18 month period, made up of 2 separate visits of 6 months and 3 months, and could extend the second visit of 3 to 6 months allowing 12 months in NZ within a 24 months period. I’d been checking the website again as, since leaving the UK, new regulations have come into force – UK citizens, and other visitors from visa waiver countries, have to now apply for an ETA (Electronic Travel Authority) before entering NZ.
I spoke to CAB volunteer Patricia, who came to NZ from Derbyshire in the 1960s, and explained my query. As luck would have it she said they had a hotline to the Immigration Office which I wouldn’t have been able to access. The woman I spoke to didn’t know the answer but went off to seek advice from a colleague while I listened to music. When she returned she explained that indeed I could spend another 6 months in NZ and that the easiest way to sort out when to enter again was to work back 12 months from the date I expected to leave on that 2nd visit which couldn’t coincide with the first visit. i.e. as I leave NZ on 2/1/20 I would have to leave NZ after the second visit earliest 3/1/21 so to spend 6 months the earliest I could enter the 2nd time would be 3/7/21. I was so happy to finally get the correct information making it easier to plan ahead.
After popping out for lunch, I returned to the library until 1930 (it closed at 2000) and had an ok’ish Pad Thai for dinner at the ‘Sunflower Thai’ a vegetarian restaurant.
Next morning I got the first ferry with a crowd of people, 0915, out to Rangitoto Island via Devonport, a 25 minute journey. Before boarding we were asked to clean our shoes with the brushes provided (to prevent spreading any diseases on the island) and to check out pockets and bags for any insects or animals that might be lurking there! This is standard practice but it did occur to me that if someone had something undesireable in their shoes it would be spread to other people’s shoes by the brushes! It all seems a bit OTT. Rangitoto island is one of the most iconic landmarks in Auckland’s city skyline and one of the ‘must dos’. It erupted from the sea approximately 600 years ago making it the last and largest volcano to be formed in the Auckland volcanic field. It was active for several years before settling down,
I sat on deck, a popular place as already it was quite warm. There was a school group of teenagers some of whom, rather disconcertingly, started singing the ‘Titanic’ film theme. I’d heard one of their teachers, before boarding the ferry, tell them that they should all put their sun hats on (as if they were infant children) and they obligingly conformed. I think the rebellious streak in me would have ignored her!
Next to me on deck was a rather eccentric woman wearing very old clothes, long luminous yellow sleeves and a battered backpack. She asked me if I had sunblock on, which I did, and appeared critical that my arms were bare. She was from the US and when she heard where I was from commented on the similarities between Trump and Johnson although agreed that Trump was much worse. I decided to avoid her, if possible, on the island.
Walking to the summit was recommended and I figured this would be where most people would head first, which turned out to be correct, so I walked along the coastal track instead. There was just one other couple on this track, both English, he having moved to NZ 8 years previously and working in the film industry and she having recently come out to visit him after 2 months of travel in Oz. He was keen on birds and asked if I’d been to Tiritiri island, a bird sanctuary, which I had thought about but chose Rangitoto instead. He highly recommended it and to pay the extra $10 for a guide, so will have to try to fit that in just before leaving NZ.
Being volcanic, the track was like walking over large lumps of coal most of the time and at other times tree roots. The sign and map stated it would take a walker of average fitness 2 hrs 30 mins but, as is often the case, this was a big exaggeration as it took me one hour less, and that was with stopping to chat, take photos and walking much slower than the couple. There were some superb views across to adjoining Motutapu Island which can be reached by a causeway connecting the two islands but there wouldn’t have been time to walk to the summit of Rangitoto if I had. It was amazing to see how entirely different that island was, being mainly covered in grassland and grazed by sheep and cattle while Rangitoto just has birds. Apparently Motutapu is a very significant island archaeologically with traces of centuries of continuous human habitation etched into its landscape. Both islands were officially declared predator-free in 2011 after an extensive eradication programme. Endangered birds such as takahe and theme (saddleback) have been released and others such as kakariki and bellbirds have returned of their own accord.
Rangitoto Wharf 
View from coastal walkway 
On the coastal walkway
Oystercatcher 
View of Motutapu Island 
View across to Motutapu Island
Despite the harsh scoria slopes on Rangitoto there is a surprising amount of flora including the world’s largest pohutakawa forest.
Pohutakawa forest
It took an hour to walk to the summit, first along a road passing a sign off to lava caves (a 30 minute side trip which I decided to miss as had forgotten to bring a torch as suggested) and then up steps…..more steps! Towards the top I had the company of a young Japanese chap who only had a total of one week in NZ, this mainly in Auckland although he hoped to go to Rotorua. He was pleased to practice his English and when I offered to take his photo he obligingly took mine. The 360 degree views of some of the other islands and Auckland were superb and it was certainly worth visiting the island for them.
I walked back down from the summit and along a road which seemed to go on for ever (by this time it was very hot) occasionally slipping on the gravel. The last ferry was departing at 3.30 pm and while waiting for it I chatted to an elderly English couple (she with a hunched back and he with a stick) who had walked up to the summit and back down the same road as I had. They had been visiting friends in Nelson and Wellington, took the Northern Explorer train from there to Auckland and were due to go home in 2 days time. She said that she hadn’t really enjoyed that train journey, as I hadn’t much, so that made me feel less of a whinging Pom!
I felt quite exhausted having walked for over 5 hours barely stopping and my iPhone indicated I’d clocked up over 11 miles. I think the unsteady terrain had made the walk seem harder. Back to my room for a shower, flop on the bed and pot meal of cold pasta for dinner.
Tomorrow is the start of my 7th housesit in NZ which I’m looking forward to.
NeverSayNeverNomad 