We celebrated the start of the New Year from the top of Rangitoto. Had a good view of the fireworks on the Sky Tower, on Waiheke, and up and down the bays.

Michelle and Brian had done this last year and invited us along for ’08. (Now it is a New Year’s tradition.)

We caught the 3 o’clock ferry to Rangitoto wharf, walked to the campsite at Home Bay on Motutapu set up camp there, before tramping up to the top of Rangitoto. There were a couple of other groups up there, including the woman who handed out Oliebollen yum! There was another group before us who it seemed were planning on camping up there. They’d tried to start a fire up (right next to the boardwalk), but the DoC ranger took them off, and gave us a quick interrogation too.

I have a big blister on my foot (I’m going soft). I’ve made a guess at the distances we walked using Google Earth. I get 36km. Quite a lot of walking.
Wharf -> Home Bay: 9.4km
Home Bay -> Summit: 8.5km
Summit -> Home Bay: 8.5km
Home Bay -> Wharf: 9.6km

It was a great way to mark the New Year.

Photos are over here.