After spending some time over the past few months researching and visiting Rangitoto, I decided to spend some extended time on the island in one of the historic baches for a few days. Due to budget constraints, I ended up choosing the bach furthest from the ferry out at Islington Bay, roughly 90 minutes walk from the main ferry terminal along the island's gravel road (or 3 hours if you take the long route and sprain your ankle half way through!). If I was to go back in future, I think it might be worth opting for something a little closer to home if time and budget allows, but I feel lucky to have had the opportunity to have spent time there regardless :) I hope I will be able to return for day trips in future before the end of the year.
On the first day there, I spent most of my time writing, taking photographs for photogrammetry (which I will put in a future post) and settling in. Initially, on the second day I had planned on walking up to the lava caves near the summit of the maunga and on doing a fair amount of audio and nighttime recording, but unfortunately due to poor weather and an injury I wasn't able to this time. Still, I was able to create some good LiDAR scans and take lots of photos for photogrammetry work going forward.
On a shorter spontaneous walk along a path called Trotters Track (on the far side of the island near the Motutapu channel), I found part of the coast that is virtually void of any human noise pollution or activity. I managed to make some short sound recordings here, and I intend on returning here for recording in future if possible. As much of the island's topography is very similar to itself (a lot of cracked scoria or a'a lava flow as a result of gases escaping the rock as it made contact with the water), it was great finding this particular section as there is a lot of pahoehoe lava present, and you can really see the liquid quality the lava had at the time of the eruption (examples below). It still blows my mind how alien these rock formations look, and I love the visual and material connection between them and some of the images coming out of NASA's Perseverence program on Mars currently (lower image below).
I was also able to work on my speech for the presentation this coming week, and did a little bit of creative writing (taking some inspiration from artist Brit Bunkley and some relevant NASA events) which I will put in another blog post.
The third day was mostly spent writing, walking back to the ferry and reflecting on the experience while taking more photographs, sound recordings and notes along the way. I chose to take the long walk back along the coast rather than the gravel road, which in hindsight isn't too smart while carrying more than a day pack, but it was worth it to explore more of the island I hadn't seen before. I was surprised at the amount of noise pollution from the city while walking - there was almost always the noise of a helicopter, boats, or traffic in the background; and in walking along the rough man-made track, even though I only encountered three other people, it was a strong reminder of the impact and presence of human activity on the island. At the same time, some of the flora I came across was unfamiliar to me, and it was exciting again to see the sheer variety of lichens and mosses on the island, without which none of the other vegetation would have a place to grow (the third one below looked like patchy snow from a distance, reminding me of areas around Christchurch's Port Hills in Wintertime).
In reading about Rangitoto, I learned about the mythology surrounding the island and its connection to Lake Pupuke as a result:
A Māori myth surrounding the lake tells of a tupua couple, children of the fire gods. After quarreling and cursing Mahuika, the fire-goddess, their home on the mainland was destroyed by Matahoe, god of earthquakes and eruptions, on Mahuika's behalf. Lake Pupuke resulted from the destruction, while Rangitoto Island rose from the sea as their exile. The mists surrounding Rangitoto at certain times are considered the tears of the tupua couple for their former home
On Motutapu, archaeologists have found the footprints of adults, children and dogs in some of the ash layers, suggesting iwi living on the neighbouring island witnessed the formation of Rangitoto. I also learned that there was at one point a prison colony on the island (which was responsible for building much of the infrastructure that remains today - the tidal pool, some of the cracked scoria roads and paths, etc.); and that the holiday baches are a result of some overstepping by campers in the 1930s, who bought campsite permits for £4 a year and chose to set up shop in a more permanent manner. Between 1898-1930, scoria was mined from the coast near Islington Bay and used as building material across Auckland, and at one point there was a salt refinery on the island's coast. The lushness of the forest on the island is also the result of relevantly new regeneration efforts - as with many other islands off the coast of Aotearoa, goats and other pest species were introduced by colonial settlers, and with their extermination over the last century, the forest has been allowed to regain its strength.
Another good essay on some of Rangitoto's colonial history here - https://ahi.auckland.ac.nz/2022/03/22/land-of-scoria-and-honey-pioneering-economies-on-rangitoto-island/
I'm looking forward to returning and working on the scans and recordings I've made in the meantime :)
On a personal note, I also learnt a little about my family and extended family's history during the trip. My dad grew up in the Mission Bay/St. Helliers area in a house that looked out over the cliff towards Rangitoto, and my aunt still lives there today with her fiance. The house has a large pohutukawa tree which has been dated as being at least 200 years old. In talking to them during my time on Rangitoto, I learned that her fiance's family still owns one of the baches in Islington Bay, where his own parent spent their honeymoon in 1946. He also shared a certificate he got in primary school for completing his swim training in the Rangitoto tidal pool. Just a fun bit of personal history I thought was nice and makes me feel a little more connected to both my family and the island...
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