McCrain's
in Middle Earth
A travel dialogue of our adventures
in New Zealand
In February 2004, Jim and Kathy McCrain began a five month oddessy in New Zealand. Kathy was transferred to Auckland for a temporary work assignment, and Jim followed her for moral support. (Isn't he just the greatest husband?)
What follows is Jim's account of this adventure.
Site-Seeing: Rangitoto Island
March 27, 2004
Rangitoto Island is one of about seven large islands in the bay east of Auckland and Takapuna Beach. A short ten-minute ferry ride will land you on the wharf for a day of adventure. Rangitoto is a very young island. It emerged from the sea floor a scant 600 years ago. Drawings made by early English inhabitants in the early 1800s look remarkably similar to what the modern-day visitor will see. Although non-native plants and animals were introduced in the 1800's, the Department of Conservation embarked on a "native restoration" campaign ten years ago. Today, there are no non-native animals on the island, and very few non-native plants. The island looks very much like it has for the past six centuries.
We
started with a quick climb to the summit, or nearly to the summit at
least. We were headed to the Rangitoto Lava Caves!
A few 
hundred meters from the summit, the intrepid hiker encounters
a series of large lava tubes.
Tubes like this can be found in most volcanic areas, but it is always
a thrill to visit "new" ones. In fact, this was the first
time that Kathy had ever seen a lava tube! If you don't know exactly
what a lava tube is, here is a very quick, non-technical explanation.
Lava, flowing from an active volcano, starts to cool on the top. As
it creates a shell, the lava underneath
keeps flowing. The new crust helps to insulate the flowing lava, helping
to maintain its super-heated temperature. When the volcano stops erupting,
the molten lava keeps flowing, emptying out the "tubes" or
"caves." Eventually 
a part of the tube will collapse, thus
exposing the interior of the tube. Then, Kathy and I climb
through them! Geology made simple!
Of course, there are two types of lava
found on Rangitoto. Puhuihui is a "flowing" style of rock.
A-A lava is very jagged and rough, being formed by chunks of molten
lava being "thrown up" by the volcano and solidifying before
it lands. OR it can be formed as a crust that gets broken up by a new
up-thrust of lava from underneath. This is the type 
of lava that Rangitoto
Island is made of.
Eventually, Kathy and I made our way to the summit for a look at the surrounding scenery. Needless to say, the views are spectacular! After all, it is an island in one of the most lush parts of the world that I have ever seen. It is a very beautiful island, and I am sure that Kathy and I will come back for more exploration before we leave.
Next Stop? Who knows?
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