New Zealand: Volcanoes, Sharks, and Cyclones...Oh My!

On Wednesday morning (which was actually Tuesday around lunchtime for most of you), we woke up to this lovely sunrise over Auckland.    We oohed and ahed over it and marveled at the sun's daily journey around the world.  

Shortly after that bit of gorgeousness to start the day,  we split off into two groups--the boys on an exciting ocean fishing voyage and the girls  volcano hiking adventure.  

Glen and the boys took the car and only got a little lost (arriving over an hour late to their charter), while us girls walked to the harbor and caught a ferry to Rangitoto Island! 

Auckland sits over a geologic hot spot and is dotted with over 50 volcanic cones within a few miles.   Most of them only ever erupt once and geologists anticipate that any future volcanic activity in the area will likely not originate from an existing volcano, but will be a new one that just pops up wherever the next hot spot happens to be.   

Last erupting about 600-years ago, Rangitoto Volcano is the newest of all the volcanoes near Auckland.  The entire island was formed when a crack in the seabed opened up and lava started flowing upward, and eventually erupting into a full blown volcano.  

Hardened lava is  the bedrock here and every plant that grows is popping out of solid rock.  

It was a challenging uphill hike that took us over an hour...

but it was well worth the view we got from the top when we did arrive! 

We had a lot of complaining going on during the upwards part of the hike, but everyone was all smiles once we got to the top.  

We enjoyed the views from every angle...

…then hiked on a little further to walk through a lava cave.


Lava caves (aka lava tubes) are formed when the lava flows and part of it cools and forms a hard crust as it is exposed to the air, while lava still flows freely underneath.  The cave here on Rangitoto are almost like a tunnel and we decided to walk all the way through one of them.    It was dark and very rough going, but there was a little natural "skylight" that let in just enough light to make it through without getting injured.

 Afterwards, we slipped and slid our way down the volcano and back to the ferry.   It was definitely a New Zealand adventure we won't soon forget! 

Meanwhile out on the ocean, the boys were having a heyday!   They caught loads of fish between them!

...including this albacore tuna that Adam caught ...

and this 6-1/2 foot mako shark that Spencer reeled in!   

Yes, that's real.  And yes, these pictures completely freak me out.    

And I'm trying not to freak out yet, but there is potentially very large cyclone heading this way this weekend.  Cyclone Pam is expected to become a category 5 storm tomorrow and if it hits New Zealand, will be the largest storm in recorded history to ever hit NZ.   But if the track changes it may stay east and miss us completely.    

We can do sharks and volcanoes, but gigantic cyclones are one New Zealand adventure we could do without! 

  

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New Zealand: Day 1

Day 1 of Spencer's Make-a-Wish trip to New Zealand:

Sunday afternoon we were picked up IN A LIMO to take us to the airport!!!!   

This completely delighted every member of our family and they couldn't wait to get in, press all the buttons, and try out the drink bar!   

It was so exciting, in fact, that Glen left his computer bag on the limo.    The computer bag that contained all the details of our trip, including the phone number for the limo company.    After a good deal of scrambling and making desperate phone calls to people who might be able to help us, we finally  got his bag back…about 45-minutes later.  Good thing we had arrived to the airport nice and early!   

Eventually we made it to the gate and  got settled in for the long haul ride to NZ.  

First a 6-hour flight to Los Angeles, then a 13-hour flight from Los Angeles to Auckland!   

We arrived about 6:00am on Tuesday local time and couldn't wait to get out and explore, but first we had to make it through customs and baggage claim.   Good thing the Auckland airport has plenty of island flair that kept us excited while we waited in the long lines.    Here was some Maori decor...

And of course there were some Lord of the Rings teasers as well.   This statue of Gimli  even had a sign in front of it that declared that it was on loan from Middle Earth!

We drove straight from the airport to Piha Beach, which in our estimation is a little slice of heaven right on earth!  

We hiked to the top of the Sleeping Lion Rock, which had originally been a Maori fishing settlement.  There wasn't a lot to see there...

except some of the most stunning views in the universe! 

The waves and rocks make the beach too rough for swimming, but the soft black sands were perfect for taking off our shoes and wading just a bit!  

 After exploring there for a while we drove a couple of miles and took a hike to Kitekite Waterfall.   Between the exotic foliage, the loudness of the insects, and the swooping birds, we felt like we were walking through a tropical jungle to get there.     The walk was slightly challenging (especially for our jet-lagged bodies), but the waterfall was stunning and provided a perfect backdrop for some New Zealand family photos! 

By the time we left there everyone was STARVING, like only a teenager who is late eating their lunch, but who's body thinks it's already dinnertime can feel.  We stopped at first place that we saw, which happened to be this little hole-in-the-wall,  Piha Cafe.   We gobbled down the hearty, but healthy fare and hoped that the rest of New Zealand food will prove as delicious as this!

Afterward we checked into our hotel, which was absolutely amazing.   We have a corner suite, with a kitchen, three bedrooms….

... and a stunning view of Auckland!  

It was an amazing first day of our dream journey and we can't wait to keep exploring this beautiful land!