Rangitoto

Last Sunday (15th) we decided to go to Rangitoto, an extinct volcano which blew it's top a long time ago. It was going to be Pree, Rachael, Laura and me, but Pree had an essay, so it was just us 3 flatmates. The ferry ride was shorter than to Waiheke, but full of peril – Rachael nearly lost her lens cap overboard.
During WWII this island was used as a military base because it's high up and you get a good view of Auckland and the surrounding water and islands. This is humorous because a "bach" here is a beach house, and usually means someone's personal beach house - traditionally like a basic cabin, but now they're actual houses. During WWII though the basic cabin definition was applicable, so there are signs on the island pointing you towards "historic baches."
There's no water on the island, just a bathroom near the port where the ferry lands with tap water if you get really desperate (but no soap).
Somehow, I always have in my mind that volcanic rock is smooth, since it's hardened lava, and lava is liquid. NOT SO. It was very hard and sharp - I could feel it through my tennis shoes.
The hike was pretty intense to my mind because the sun was brutal, and the volcanic rock was hot too. I would stop to take pictures then run to catch up to Laura and Rachael. Sweat was dripping off of me, and I was feeling pretty tough and accomplished – but then a family, complete with a little kid, would hike by. Dang it, the kids put me to shame.
The top of the volcano was a gaping crater, softened by the plants which filled it to the brim and distorted its size – trees at the bottom were so close together that they looked like bushes, but you knew if you thought about it that under that bush was a 10-foot tall (at least) trunk.
We wandered in pursuit of the lava tubes (tubes sound smooth, right? NO!). Luckily there was an American family just coming out of the tubes as we wanted to go in, because they weren’t marked, so I don’t know that I would have had the nerve to go in very far without knowing that this was actually what we were supposed to go in to. Laura sat and talked with the family, since she was scared of dark/enclosed spaces, and Rachael and I went in. It was a tight fit at first, but then it opened up into a large room, large enough to stand it. Long cords of roots hung from the ceiling, with drops of water suspended from them. When I swung the flashlight past them, they sparkled like a chandelier over us. The room sloped up gently, then abruptly came to a hole up to the ground, which involved a bit of rock climbing to get out of (AND there were spiderwebs). We stopped by one of the baches (although I hadn’t realized that’s what it was). It was decidedly creepy, the perfect set for a horror movie- not over the top, just industrial and remote, etc. The hike down was pretty fast because Laura had to pee. (I hadn’t brought enough water but she let me have some of hers, so I didn’t desperately have to pee, since I was nearly dehydrated). When we got to the bathrooms at the bottom of the mountain, she did a little dance. All told the hike was about 3 hours, I think. Not more than that.
Then we got back on the ferry. On the way up I'd felt very positive, but on the way down, and back, I felt really... frustrated? Disappointed? Probably because I was dehydrated!