VISIT TO RANGITOTO VOLCANIC ISLAND

Saturday Alisa and I tried a “do it yourself” adventure.  We drove over to Devonport’s wharf and caught the 9:30 a.m. ferry out to Rangitoto Island.  This uninhabited island is about 600 years old, and basically consists of a volcano, which we climbed.  From the top, we could look down into the crater and had a stunning view of the surrounding islands and the downtown of Auckland.  While we were admiring the view, my magic jack app on my cell phone rang and it was Janell Tuttle calling to visit.  I couldn’t believe that we had that kind of reception out on this volcanic island!  From there we hiked down to and through a lava tube that was pretty cool.  We’d been warned to bring our “torches” (flashlights), so we used our lights on our cell phones to illuminate the tunnel.  We explored the island for about 3 hours then took the 12:45 p.m. ferry back.  The clouds had been threatening all morning, but waited until our return ferry ride to really let loose with the rain.  The sun came out again as we arrived back at Devonport.  We walked around their old-fashioned downtown and had lunch at one of their restaurants, fish and chips for me and buttered chicken and curry for Alisa, while watching some local rugby and cricket on t.v.