Rangitoto Island, Auckland

well personally i absolutely loved rangitoto island and i should know because i climbed right up to the top with my whole intyer year, this year last term. i liked rangitoto because i felt safe and i knew that i was in a kind loving inviroment. so try it for yourself go in the lava caves climb to the top and most of all have fun. ITS NOT HARD!!!

It was great to actually be on top of an inactive volcano and see amazing views back to Auckland city. It is a great walk to the top and it still feels/looks like there is rubble from when it last erupted. Its awesome, great place to have a picnic for the day.

There is something so special and unique about Rangitoto Island which is the youngest of Auckland's volcanoes and is home to the largest Pohutukawa Forest in all of New Zealand. The best time of year to see it would be in December close to Christmas when the trees are in bloom. Go prepared as there is nothing on the island except a toilet by the ferry.

Rangitoto was the ideal place for a bit of off-road running. i took the coastal track through to mototapu island and stopped at Islington Bay for lunch. $11 is nothing to pay for scenery and a fun run like that, i can't wait to go back there again!

Started off catching the 9:15AM ferry across to Rangitoto - thankfully the weather was fabulous. The walk up had excellent spots to stop and take photos, as well as little information blurbs. It got a bit tough towards the top, but I got there in the end!! After spending some time enjoying the fantastic view from the summit, decided to head to the lava caves - didnt get to spend too much time there as there were lots of kids climbing in and out of them. My companion and I then decided to head to Islington Bay Wharf for lunch, which was a really nice spot to stop and eat. Next came..the not-so-fun part of the day... We decided to take the coastal track. I can vouch for the fac that it is HARDLY coastal - only about 20 minutes of the whole 2 hour track was coastal!! It is also quite a hard track to walk, you have to keep your eyes on your footing the whole time. I wouldn't really recommend this track. Overall it was a fantastic day, I will have to go again as I only saw half of the island.

I recently went to Rangitoto Island and as I enjoy offroad running what better place to go and at the same time explorer a very beutiful piece of NZ. Once getting off the ferry I headed left to Mckenzie Bay as this was nice and flat and allowed me to warm up before the climb to the summit. It also meant I wasn't bothering anyone else with my puffing as most people seemed to head for the Summit tracks once getting off the ferry. I reccomend this way to any one else with the same idea. I choose to decend down the single track which was great fun. Not so great if you were to fall as the lava rocks looked pretty rough. Once back to the wharf I enjoyed the shade of the nicely build shelter and ate my lunch while studying the Map of the island and worked out which route to run on the next trip over there. I think the $20 return Adult fare on Fullers is well worth the money for anyone wishing to experience the many things to see and do on Rangitoto. The tracks are so great and even folk with young children would enjoy the walk tracks. 10/10 to DOC. It makes me so proud to be a NZ'er when I can experience something like Rangitoto. Keep up the good work !!

I found it alot of fun, there was lots of different walks you could go on, we chose one which took us about 3 hours, it was hard because the weather was so hot. The best thing about going was the scenary; when we sat at the top & ate our lunch it was amazing. You could see miles from all around. I would deffinately go back!!

we took our 1 3 and 5 year old up rangitoto on new year's day. Even with rain on the way down we all loved it. great views. A ferry ride and a challenge all fairly safe within reach of auckland. Steep climb, but Mr 5 made it all the way on his own. Jan 2007!

Wonderful hike. Please bring lots of water, snack, good shoes/hiking boots, and flashlight for lava tubes. The weather was cool making the climb up very nice, although once sweaty the cool breeze turned very chilly. shorts and wind breaker are a must. Recommend taking early ferry so you have more time to explore.

The view were fantastic, although the hiking was a little tricky. there is a fantastic view along with many other cool things. But, even thought the hike was tricky, it was definatly worth it.