My last day in Paihia was lovely, with beautiful sun...slightly breezy, but this worked well for the parasailing! But before that I took out a kayak once more and revisited some of the islands, as they were too nice to only see once! The tide was slightly further out than the first time, which meant there were more little rocks sticking out of the water to explore and circumnavigate. I thought I would be slower than in the double kayak, but this was a slightly more streamlined version, so all in all it didn't feel too difficult. It was quite a soggy boat to sit in though, as there were two holes in it (deliberate holes, not accidental ones!) so I got quite wet.
I returned to the hostel for lunch, and then went out for the exciting parasailing adventure. This was great. We got about 12 minutes in the air each, which feels like plenty of time when you're up there. It's strangely calm, and you can't hear or see anything from the boat, it's just a speck far below. So you're out on your own for a bit, but it was nice :-) we had the option to get wet feet on the way back in if we liked (I did), it was most exciting to be partially dunked in the water on the way back, though I was glad the driver didn't misjudge and fully dunk me!
After that excitement I hopped back on the bus to Auckland, my final NZ stopover. The hostel is massive and busy, but at least it's cheap :-)
Today I visited the Island of Rangitoto for the day. Much more peaceful than staying in the busy city centre. It is a conservation island, with no 'pests' including humans... You can't camp or stay on the island at all, though there is a campsite on its very close neighbouring island. They are aiming to preserve the flora and fauna as NZ should be without introduced species. There are animal traps everywhere and you are asked to clean your shoes and check bags for any stowaways. I've never found a mouse in my bag before, but I guess you never know!
Rangitoto is a volcanic island, so walking in places is hard going, as it's all made of lava rocks. There aren't any roads on the island, except a dust track...and some walking tracks are a little easier underfoot and others. I however chose the tricky track first, which lead to Boulder Bay, or Wreck bay as it is also know...for it has been the site of about 13 deliberate shipwrecks. They put them there as it is out of sight... I guess before the days of stringent conservation laws! It made for an exciting adventure. I only managed to find the remains of about 5 wrecks, as the others were around the bay, and would have required hacking my way through a lot of vegetation, swimming, or cliffhanging. Perhaps I'll save those challenges for another time, as it was a bit cold and grey, so getting lost/wet/injured wouldn't have been ideal when quite literally in the middle of nowhere with the whole place to myself. (All the other ferry passengers had headed straight for the summit track, but I was more excited by the shipwrecks!)
After sheltering from a downpour in the rocks, I headed up towards the summit track myself. You reach the volcano's crater, and from there can head up to the highest viewpoint from which you can see pretty much the whole island. It was very marvellous. And it didn't rain again after that first conveniently timed downpour, which was a bonus. I made it back with plenty of time before the last ferry back, so sat in a field just over the causeway to the other island, and wandered along the beach. I spotted a few jellyfish (after paddling!) and went back for the ferry.
I now write to you from the 51st level (I can't call it floor, most of the floors don't exist as this building is more like a giant concrete stick) of the highest building in the Southern Hemisphere (the Sky Tower) watching the sun set for the last time in NZ. It has very spectacular views, and I'm sure is preparing me nicely for the idea of being in the sky, which I mostly shall be for the next couple of days!
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