At 3am I awoke due to the crushing heat that we've been having here at the moment (be quiet Australia...we're more fragile than you!) and noticed that my phone wasn't blinking it's little charge light at me. It took a few moments for my 3am brain to realise that nothing in my room was blinking at me and that a fuse had blown. I could still hear the fridge/freezer going so my 3.03am brain chose to ignore it and try to go back to sleep. My 3.15am brain started to worry that without a charged phone, my alarm wouldn't go off and without an alarm I would sleep in, and if I slept in I would miss my ferry etc etc etc, so my 3.19am brain decided to fix the fuse. Unfortunately once reset, everything in the house whirred back to life including the house alarm, which my 3.23am brain couldn't remember the code to so *click* the fuse was switched back off again. So the 'good nights sleep' part of my grand plan became the 'half-asleep so I don't miss my boat' toss and turn.
Once I was up at the right time and we had fixed the fuse the next problem became the rain outside. Only the second day of rain we've had since Christmas I'll just add. With everything that I had on my 'to buy' list a raincoat was very near the bottom so I had to pull out a dusty old poncho I brought during our last trip to Universal Studios. If it can keep Dinosaur expressed water off me, than it can keep my backpack dry. This is not to say I don't have a rain jacket, it's just ours are mostly heavy duty winter coats that are a little too snug to go over body, pack and camera.
So here I was tired, about to be wet and heading out for walk number one. But even these little hiccups couldn't quash the excitement and as I was standing on the dock, looking out at the ferry bobbing about in the water I was all smiles.
The ferry leaves from Downtown Auckland which was all a buzz with the Rugby League Nines competition happening this weekend and the trip takes just under one and a half hours. The first great thing that happened was that I saw Trish on the boat who is a fellow Zoo Volunteer and also a guide on Tiri. Familiar faces are always a good thing and we chatted about the Island, and what I was doing which helped take my mind off the bumpy ride we were having. By the time we arrived Trish had gotten approval to be my guide for the day and accompany me around the island! Looking back, doing the walk alone would have been such a different, less fulfilling experience and I'm so grateful to Trish and the other guides for that opportunity. She was excellent company and my brain is overflowing with facts about the history of the island and all the different native trees and birds. If you're ever visiting the island I can't recommend enough booking a guided tour - it's a very small cost for what you get back.
This was the sky over Rangitoto Island as we headed out towards Gulf Harbour. At this stage I thought all I was going to get out of the day was a ruined camera and a cold.
After the ferry drops you off the visitors are gathered round for a quick talk about the Island. There are some important rules to follow as it's a predator-free sanctuary and environment for scientific research which I know sounds like the set up to the Sci-Fi movie of the week but there are some guidelines that all visitors have to follow.
The track from the book that we followed took us away from the main attraction, the lighthouse which is where the bulk of the crowds go. We went down past Hobbs Beach, then along the Kawerau Track towards the North East Bay track, then back along the East Coast track past Pohutukawa Cove and Fisherman's Bay, up to the Lighthouse then back down the Wattle track to the Ferry. We had to be back by 3.15pm or the Ferry would unceremoniously abandon us.
Our first treat were the nesting boxes they have set up just before Hobbs Beach for the Little Blue Penguins.
One of them had a nesting bird inside which I chose not to photograph as I didn't want to disturb it with the sound or flash of the camera.
Part of the beauty of the island is the different types of environment you walk through in a day. From beach to paddock, to bush to coastal paths, you're really spoiled with the different scenery. And it's probably the best time to say that none of my photos properly capture the beauty of being in these locations.
While we were walking along the Kawerau track there were some amazing trees that looked like they'd come from a Tolkien universe. Their roots were these incredible, interweaving structures and they had beautiful, mutually beneficial relationships with the trees around it. The oldest we saw was a 1000 year old Pohutukawa tree.
We got to see a lot of birds, but I wasn't quick enough on the camera to capture photos of them all. If you'd like to hear their calls the Department of Conservation website has samples of most of them at this link
This is the Tui which has two voice boxes that allows them to make a wide range of calls and can trick you into thinking that there's more than one about.
The Kokako was the most elusive but we finally spotted on on our way down to the ferry.
The little Bellbirds flitted around us all day.
And we were so lucky to see a family of Takahe up by the lighthouse with their newest chick, who is all feet and totally gorgeous.
So the track took us about 3 and a half hours to the lighthouse and then another 40 minutes down to the boat which I'm really happy with and I can't say enough about how wonderful the guides were and an extra special thanks to Trish for helping make walk #1 such a special day. And.....we didn't have a drop of rain.
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