The weather in Auckland has been terrible the last few days, but at least we got some nice sunsets out of it.
Sunset in Auckland
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This summer just doesn’t seem to want to end, not that I complaining. Here is the view from Maraetai on the Eastern edge of Auckland, looking out towards Waiheki island.
Mount Saint John
The weather has been a little cooler this week, but the evenings are still fine for jogging. This week I decided to visit another of Auckland’s volcanic cones – Mt Saint John.
This panorama was taking looking East(ish) over Epsom and Remuera. The hill on the left is Mt Hobson. Towards the right is Cornwall Park topped with the monument on One Tree Hill. Off in the distance about a third of away across the image you can see Mt Wellington (about 6km away)
This is Mt Eden, as seen from much the same spot. In the foreground you can see the size of the crater. Mt Saint John is not one of the premier volcanoes around the city but its eruption is responsible for the lava field that eventually forms Meola reef several kilometres away so it must have been a big deal back in the day. I rate it a solid 7 out of 10 Wilberforces on the Volcanic Cone Appreciation Scale.
Destruction Gully Track
Yet another perfect day in Auckland, and yet another track in the Waitakere Ranges to explore. This time was the ominously named Destruction Gully Track, a short but fun track that descends from the Whatipu Road just after Little Huia.
Although not very long as the crow flies, Destruction Gully Track is quite steep as the cow plummets and is not one of the best maintained tracks. At a couple of points near the bottom the track is augmented by some helpful garden hose that has been fastened to the rocks. By no means is it as scary as the Mercer Bay “Track”, but a certain level of fitness is required.
At the bottom lies Makaka Bay, a nice little rocky beach that still has a few signs of what I think was a logging tramway back in the day. There are a few good views of the Manukau Heads across the water as well. Makaka Bay is not well visited so you will have nothing to disturb your calm except the skitter of crabs and the thought of the climb back up.
The weather in Auckland has been glorious this summer. If anything it has been too good with very little rain at all, and the hills are very brown. I am looking forward to a long, golden autumn.
(click for full size)This evening was perfect for jogging – not too hot, a very slight breeze, and a bright sun that seemed to hang above the hills casting burnished shadows across the city. I managed to make it to the top of the big Mt Wellington and take this photo before the sun dropped below the horizon. This is looking vaguely Nor-Northeast, the city centre is on the left edge (you can just see the Sky Tower), Rangitoto is centre-left. Point England and Half Moon Bay are on the right. On the extreme right side you can see the picturesque Panmure basin and the less picturesque Mt Wellington roundabout. The foreground is the Mt Wellington crater, which is pretty impressive but hard to take pictures of.