"Keeweechic's Rangitoto Island " a Rangitoto Island Travel Page by keeweechic

Rangitoto Island was originally called Te Rangi i totongia a Tamatekapua (Maori) which means "the day the blood of Tamatekapua was shed". This comes about from a fight between Tamatekapua and Hoturoa who the commanders of the Arawa and Tainui canoes when Tamatekapua was injured.

Rangi (as the locals call her) is the youngest of Aucklands volcanoes but is the largest out of the 48 in total. Estimated to be around 600 years old when Maori’s at the time witnessed the eruption from where they were living on Motutapu Island. The eruption which first began below water level continued over several months until the island slowly became visible in the Hauraki Gulf. They continued for about 12 months.

During the early 1900s the north-eastern coast of the island was used as a graveyard for old sailing ships and their timber was later used to built bachs ( a type of cabin) around the coast. These days, these bachs are no longer allowed.

After being born in Auckland and living there a good chunk of my life, I had never been to Rangitoto Island until my last visit back home. Amazing, especially since it takes little time to get there by boat from downtown Auckland.