CITY OF VOLCANOES

Since moving to Auckland last year, I have become fascinated with the number of volcanoes that inhabit the city. The count according to the Lonely Planet is fifty, all of which lie around the city’s boundary. At the end of May, I moved to Mangere East, a multicultural district of Auckland 40 minutes away across the industrial section named “Highbrook” from Burswood, my former neighborhood. Without intending to do so, I became almost obsessed with the job of climbing as many volcano peaks as I could. My new regiment, although not diligently so, is now to discover different sights of Auckland and the thousands of inlets that carve out its meandering coastline from these peaks. So far, I’ve climbed four.

Perhaps this new intention was driven by my first hike up Maungarei (Mt. Wellington) volcano in Pakuranga. This peak is easy to get to by rail, as the entry to the volcano is steps away from the Pakuranga transit site and Panmure Basin. Doubling as a conservation and recreational site, Maungarei gave me scenic views of the elevated coastal trail that leads further up into the Cockle Bay and Bucklands Beach areas. This walking trail is a good one to tackle if you have an entire afternoon to waste seeing the beautiful sights of South Auckland. It takes almost three to four hours to complete from the starting point of Maungarei volcano, and there are different towns along this trail, which boast cafes and other places to eat. However, if you don’t have the time, there is always Panmure Basin, a lagoon encompassed by residences and another walking trail that loops around the edge of the water. From the vantage point of the peak of Maungarei, the views of the bays are magnificent and overpower the hectic urban skyline with a vengeance.

A view of the edge of the volcanic crater

A slow descent into the mouth of the crater

Rob in the distance, a speck against the massive crater

Panmure, a strong contrast against the resplendent peace of Maungarei

Still at Maungarei, but above the carpark where visitors enter

Rob pointing out the urban scene, which looks a million miles away

Panmure Basin? It's not far from here

Urban wastewater catchment. Just beyond is an industrial centre.

This day couldn't make up its mind: rainy or sunny? A brief glimpse at the sky clearing up.

Looks windy - it was a bit!

The road, Mountain Road, which takes all there to the top of the world.

On another afternoon, following a visit with my friend’s relations, we suddenly got the urge to hike up Maungakiekie, better known by the English name, One Tree Hill. The popular rock band, U2, commemorated this volcano in one of their songs, and I could see why. Not just a mound of dormant lava, this volcano has evolved into both a recreational and reserve area. While this dual function is not unusual in New Zealand, Maungakiekie is unique in that it is also a farm. Peasants, chickens, sheep and other animals roam freely across the grounds of this historical site. Despite the numbers of people, who take advantage of its serenity, Maungakiekie volcano is slow paced. Climbing up its jagged hillside, one gets the feeling that one is not in the city at all, especially when rabbits are sighted emerging from their hiding place of a hole on the side of the mountain.          

And on yet another day, following an outing and an errand in the city, my friend and I decided to walk back to Mangere East. We followed Symonds Road as far as the fork in the highway, where just beyond, we sighted a plaque with the name Maungawhau. This was the Mt. Eden volcano; I remembered the name in my Lonely Planet travel book. Not realizing how close this volcano was to the university, although I probably should not have been, I was taken aback. Recognition soon gave way to a delightful squeal, happy to have found it as it was on my list of things to do. The entry to hiker’s trail was clearly not a path well trodden, but up we went, braving the cold, drizzle, and the too-quickly descending evening that gradually encloaked our hunched forms as we briskly approached the peak of the volcano. Runners beat us to the top, but they hurriedly descended almost as quickly as they ran up. I tried to enjoy this latest achievement of conquering yet another Auckland volcano. The wet weather, which had hardened to pelting raindrops by this time, dampened my enthusiasm a little bit. The cold in Auckland’s winters can snake its way into your lungs and soul, and days later we – especially my friend – paid for it with sniffles and a slight temperature, both a sign that the flu was just around the corner. Expressing concern for my well-being, my friend decided to make this visit to Maungawhau a short one, fearing my cold might get worse. Despite the emotional misery that only winter can induce, I could not take my eyes away from the views of the stars, the nightline, and the coast, which in the darkening sky, had deepened to the shade of a barely discernible deep purple and navy blue.

Several days later, undeterred by the bad weather, my friend happily took me out on another excursion: to Mangere mountain, a volcano in our neighborhood. This volcano gives a stronger sense of security, especially if you decide to embark on a hike on a whim without the normal accoutrements of trail mix and hastily concocted sandwiches. The contingency of fish and chip shops and outdoor cafes in the neighboring, historical Mangere Bridge village gives the intrepid walker some peace of mind.    

Although the sites from Mangere were very similar to those viewed from the peaks of the other volcanoes, I can’t say that I tire of them. The tightly curved bays, canoes skimming across the blue waters, the rugged coastlines, and the expansive sky as the backdrop all give me the sensation of being a tiny, inconsequential mosquito in the middle of all this tranquil, yet busy, activity. You realize just how small you really are and how small your contribution is to world history. Being so high up, the rest of the world looking like distant ants and Lego structures, the conflicts and frustrations melt like soft ice cream from my tense shoulders and are mentally packed tightly away in a hidden corner of my mind to be dealt with later.