Vulcan Bowels

Across the bay from the hustle and bustle of the city central lies the jagged island of Rangitoto. Casting its shadow across the harbor, Rangitoto Island projects out of the sea and sprawls across the horizon. This 600 year old volcano is a recently uninhabited (those living there were kicked out a decade or so ago to preserve and reintroduce the native natural habitat) island unto itself and is one of many surrounding Auckland that has created the land mass where the city sits today. It is disputed as to whether or not the volcano is extinct or dormant, but all sides agree that if it did erupt Auckland would resemble a modern day Pompeii, but with about a million people and probably less Italians. Comforting. If I were to go down in a fiery ball of molten lava I would definitely want some Italians around, especially Mario, he knows a thing or two about bouncing around some fireballs. But back to the Island, because of its age and the richness of volcanic soil; the hard, black, basaltic shell of the volcano is hidden under the thick cover of rainforest. Under the fluorescent green canopy lie ancient jet-black boulders that spilled out of the cone hundreds of years ago as blistering hot lava. Today the thing that is blistering hot about the rock is the lack of ozone above New Zealand that allows the rocks to fry (like my nose) under the midday sun. The lava flows that had created the rock of the island also produced caves and caverns under the island from which it spewed. After following the well worn track and sharing the caves with a few other tourists, I decided some trail blazing was in order. (Mom, stop reading). After hopping some boulders and following a narrow animal trail it quickly stopped. The world that is. A sinkhole appeared at my toes after I came crashing through some bushes. Flashlight in hand and fingers crossed (which probably wasn’t a very safe thing to do when climbing backwards down a pitch black 20 foot hole in the Earth) I hopped that one of my childhood dreams had come true:

A) Adam West, I found your cave Batman POW!

B) The Land of the Lost was only one earthquake away, or

C) I was about to journey to the Center of the Earth.

Needless to say, I am still dreaming of that day. After spelunking in my newly found caves, and realizing that I have no idea what poisonous animal population NZ has, I thought it best to expel myself from the bowels of the Earth. (I apologize if that image was too graphic, but Mom, I did tell you to stop reading.)

Reaching the summit and the crater was an altogether bizarre experience. On one side is a beautiful view of the city skyline, on the other is a massive Lambeau-sized bowl at the top of a mountain, and I was in the nosebleeds. The island also played host to a prison, the NZ armed forces during the second World War, and the Dharma Initiative. Abandoned barracks and lookouts are scattered throughout the forest but the only remaining ruins of the prison is the entrance to the bathroom. I sure hope the “caves” I found weren’t just part of the old sewage system…