Sunday 2 October 2011

NZ: Auckland, city of volcanoes

Auckland actually sits on an active volcanic field with 49 volcanoes!  According to the GeoNet site at  http://www.geonet.org.nz/volcano/our-volcanoes/auckland-volcanic-field.html  these volcanoes are unlikely to be active again.  A trusty lot, these Aucklanders.  They even built their museum right on top of a crater!  It was fun though checking out all these volcanoes that one can easily get to on a short drive around the City.  Our first stop was Devonport where we drove up a steep road to the top of Mt. Victoria, the tallest volcano in Auckland.  We were rewarded by a panoramic view of the city and harbour and the perfect cone of the largest volcano in Auckland, Rangitoto Island.  If we had more time, we would have spent more time wandering around Devonport, often compared to Sausalito in the San Francisco Bay area.  But we were on a quest for volcanoes!  


Auckland Museum sitting on a crater

Rangitoto Island, the largest of the Auckland volcanoes, last erupted 600 years ago

View of the harbour and the other volcanoes in Auckland


Auckland skyline
Crater!



Standing on the rim of one crater and looking across town at the other two volcanoes


One Tree Hill, another volcano


Obelisk at the top of One Tree Hill

The slopes of the volcano is now a sheep farm in the middle of the city!





They don't look very sheepish, do they?!

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