After many, many, many hours of blissful sleep, Dave and I stumble out of the hotel and walk down to the wharf to take a ferry to Rangitoto Island, an extinct volcano. Or, rather, a volcano that is “thought to be extinct”, which presumably means that scientists think it’s done, but really the whole thing could blow at any time, because who can tell. (Joan assures me this is par for the course for extinct volcanos.) Dave and I, along with a handful of adults and approximately 300,000 fifth graders hike from the wharf up to the summit. The hike to the top takes about an hour. We spend most of that time trying to arrange things so that we are hiking in the peaceful sections of the trail where there are no fifth graders. We start out with a good lead, so as long as we keep up a good pace, we can keep ahead of the bulk of them. At a couple of points on the trail, there are displays with educational information. I’m not one to pass up educational displays, so I am tempted away, until the sounds of high pitched voices and tiny stomping feet get louder, and we have to be on our way again before we get trampled. I now know something of what a hunted fox feels like.

At one point we take a rest stop, sitting on the rocks on the side of the trail and having some water while allowing a bevy of hot, tired New Zealanders (some of which are not fifth graders) to walk by us. As they pass, they all look at us with expressions of surprise. When we continue, we discover that the whole lot of them have taken seats on either side of the trail at the very next bend and are having a nice break. I’m left with the impression that it simply never occurred to them that such a rest was a possibility until they saw us do it.

The views from the top of the volcano are spectacular, and I take lots of pictures.

We spend the afternoon at the Museum of Technology and Transport. Most of the museum is this odd collection of Victorian dwellings, old cars, and exhibits about famous New Zealand pilots (both of them). The museum has a very rural feel, possibly because it’s a good distance away from town. There were at least four other people there.

The highlight of the museum is the science exhibitions. It’s a lot like the Exploratorium, except that most of the exhibits work, and Dave and I have the whole place to ourselves. We clamber over self-constructed arch bridges, make ourselves sick on a spinning momentum exhibit, drive a robot badly around the floor, and launch a air powered soda bottle into the air. Good times were had by all, except possibly the robot.