The Ascent of Rangitoto

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XLI, Issue 12, 16 September 1908, Page 54

The Ascent of Rangitoto

THE MOUNTAIN OF THE BLOOD-RED SKY

(By

S.B.C.)

!Amc»ng-*t the main volcanic cones that lie scattered around the city and suburbs of Auckland, Rangitoto stands supreme in altitude and peerless in austere •beauty of outline. standing at the entrance of one of the finest harbours in the world, looking down upon the loveliest city in the southern hemisphere, Rangitoto may well be called fair Waitemata's lord and Sentinel and a bulwark against furious blasts, that fain would vex and mar his placid bride. Immutable as fate it has stood thus through the ages, the monstrous scars that seam its rugged face betokening the awful pangs of its volcanic birth—a fitting monument of the dread forces Of nature below. Vpou such a birth, purely no living thing could have looked Sind lived, and should Rangitoto once more asseVt its pristine might, little rwould remain of the smiling and pros-. j»erous country that now camps on the grassy hills at its feet, but a smoking ruin, traversed by molten streams of lava, lashed by an angry boiling sea and canopied with clouds of inky black»ess that the flames around would only •erve to intensify. Happily, unlike Vesuvius, which is •Iways in a state of unrest, and has on several occasions broken out into violent eruption, overwhelming large tracts of fertile country ami slaving its tens of thousands, Rangitoto shows no signs at present that it will ever again become act ive. Rangitoto is circular in shape, with a diameter of mile*, and rises to a height of P2O fret, the *ea lapping its phortS on every ide. It* crater like summit i* composed of a mass of scoria and out of (hi* rise three curious peak* or nipple*, which enable it tu be recognised anywhere; for one of the many peculiaritie* of Rangitoto i->. that taken from any point of view it always presents the *anic aspect. It is only within the last few years that the inhospitable -shore.* of Rangb loto have J»een trodden to any extent by thg foot of man. At one time its ascent wa* attend *d with considerable difficulty owing to the want of a proper, track; and Hie huge rocks and the deep fissures to be clambered over. So rough and painful was (he journey that it was no uncommon thing after the descent for climbers to find their boots completely ruined, and on their arms, faces, and hands scratches and bruises painfully apparent. But, thanks to the energy and forethought shown by the residents of (he marine suburb of Devonport. all this is altered now. A neat little wharf has been erected at the south western end of the island, and a well beaten track of easy grade lead* the visitor in a very short time, and with comparative comfort. to the top. The view therefrom is only to Ik* surpa*sed by that to be obtained from the summit of its fairer sister*. Mt. Eden and Mt. Hobson. Hundreds of people now think nothing cf making the ascent, whereas several years ago it was considered quite a record if Rangitoto's rugged sides were •caled by < dozen people in the course During the summer month* excursions arc run to the inland on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons by the Ferry Company. while on holidays there are generally several boats plying to and fro during the day for the convenience of the travelling public. It was on one of these occasions (hat the writer, in company with’.in enthusiastic friend, had the satisfaction of making the assent of the mountain and inhaling the exhilarating ozone laden freeze leaving the Queen street wharf at 11 •i.m.. after a pleasant run down the harbour. touching al Mt. I letters en route, Ihe ferry landed <tn passengers in good time rm the inland. There must have been fully a hundred grouped ai>otit the’ jetty, the majority of whom were desirous of mat-

iug the ascent, while the rest satisfied themselves with striking off the main track into some sequestered nook to enjoy a quiet read, or a little family picnic beneath the shade of some wide spreading poliutukawa tree. And it is surprising, when the island comes to be explored, how many of these beauty spots are to be found, and one marvels how it is possible for so much verdure to flourish in such a rocky and apparently Waterless region. On every hand were to be seen many and striking evidences of the mighty forces that had been at work in past ages. Here great waves of black lava, harmless enough now, but once boiling turbulent masses of liquid fire, carrying death and destruction wherever they flowed. There huge masses of rock, that had found a final resting place after being hurled hundreds of feet in to the air, confronting the climber as if to bar the way. In some places it almost seemed as if in a moment of time the seething writhing waves of molten fire had been frozen as they leaped into the air, so storm swept an appearance did the lava beds present. As the top of the mountain was approached, the ground, although still rocky, was not so rugged, the last spin* being thickly covered with native grasses. Following for a fe.iort distance the somewhat winding track, leading round the foot of the spur, we were in a few moments at the top. And what a panorama lay at our feet. To the north stretched the wide expanse of the Pacific, its sapphire waters rippling on the rugged coast line of Cape Colville and the Great Barrier and Little Barrier Islands, and away to'where horizon and ocean seemed to blend. To the east lav Wuiheke and the numerous beautiful islands that stud the Hauraki Gulf, the Coromandel and the Thames Ranges fringing the hazy horizon like a fainpart of blue steel. Southwards the eye rested, first on the fertile lapds of the Tamaki and Wairoa basins, then on the broken country bordering the .Waikato. until arrested by the sombre wafers of the Maiuikau Harbour and the purple hills, beyond. Sweeping round towants the south-nest the eye travelled swiftly over the beautiful suburbs and the stately buildings of the city down to the water’s edge, where pearly stretches of beach glistened among the green foliage that embowered many a lovely residence. Westward lay the upper reaches of the. Waitemata Harbour, until lost to view on-the foreshore of the Waitakerei Ranges. Directly opposite the channel was the North Head, its bold sweeping outlines carrying Hie eye along the foreshore of the marine suburb towards Northcote and Birkenhead on the one hand, and to Cheltenham Beach and Lake Takapuna on the other. For miles the coastline could tie traced on every side, in parts rich and fertile, in others barren and bleak, but all. softened by distance, charming to look upon. While a pleasant breeze was blowing around Rangitoto’s summit, it was breathlessly calm below. The water in the channel between Rangitoto and Messrs. Reid’s beautiful island of Motutapu was like a sheet of fairest silver, in which the sails and rigging of several becalmed yachts were faithfully depicted. Rangitoto Channel itself, and everywhere on the harbour appeared to be equally calm, for a stately ship inward hound, with aff sail* set to catch the faintest breath of wind, rested on the water like a/gfreat seagull wearied with its long flight, while quite a fleet of smaller craft were drifting aimlessly about in all directions. The only sighs of movement were the ferry" boats' busily plying to and fro across tlie harbour, leaving Ix-liind them long streaks of foam, the. beat of their paddles thro Wang through the still air. Turning to (he spot upon which we stood we looked down upon what must once have l»een a scene of awful desolation, Even now there is much to awe

the beholder as he realises how mighty must have been the forces lying beneath his feet .to have emitted such an enor- ' •mous quantity of rocks and lava oyer i so extensive an area. ; : Presently, as we open out our lunch baskets, we are able to look at our immediate surroundings. The mountain top presented quite an animated scene, for by this time most of .the excursionists had found their way up, although a few widely scattered people, looking like pigmies, were still to be seen toiling up the track far below. While'we wore enjoying runch'with a

zest unknown in city restaurants, a pair of larks which had either their home oa the brink of the crater) or, like ourselves, had come across from ithe mainland for the day, were carolling overhead as blithely as ff on their native meadows. A happy augury, let us hope, that the fiery spirit of Rangitoto is laid for evermore. , , Late in the afternoon we wended our way down to the jetty and were soon homeward bound, leaving Kangitoto once more in the distance to its lonely vigils with the silent stars and the brooding night.

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