Rangitoto Island, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
Rangitoto Island is a volcanic island in the Hauraki Gulf near Auckland, New Zealand. The 5.5 km wide island is an iconic and widely visible landmark of Auckland with its distinctive symmetrical shield volcano cone rising 260 metres (850 ft) high over the Hauraki Gulf.
Rangitoto is the most recent and the largest of the approximately 50 volcanoes of the Auckland volcanic field. It is separated from the mainland of Auckland’s North Shore by the Rangitoto Channel. Since World War II, it has been linked by a causeway to the much older, non-volcanic Motutapu Island.
Rangitoto is Māori for ‘Bloody Sky’, with the name coming from the full phrase Ngā Rangi-i-totongia-a Tama-te-kapua. Tama-te-kapua was the captain of the Arawa waka and was badly wounded on the island, after having lost a battle with the Tainui iwi at Islington Bay.
Epic New Zealand Culture & Adventure Route © Monika Newbound
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