What It Means to Live on an Island

As every graduate of elementary-school science classes can tell you, islands are created when the shifting of Earth's plates cause underwater volcanoes to shoot liquid rock to the surface of the sea where it cools and hardens. Volcanoes, thus, are a vital part of island life - the whole island's reason for being, so to speak. Volcanoes also, however, can be a destructive part of island life because they don't just skulk back to their watery homes after giving birth, but they stick around to shake things up a bit every now and then. On an island, you never know when a long-dormant volcano will reawaken or when a previously unknown spewer of lava and ash will arise to surprise us all.

Bryan and Jane had known all of this when they arrived in Auckland, but it was not until they took a trip to the Auckland War Memorial Museum that they realized just how much a part of their lives volcanoes now were. The Auckland War Memorial Museum is located in the center of the Auckland Domain, a large park situated between the center of town and the suburb of Parnell. It hosts exhibits on both the natural and human history of New Zealand, including a film strip that explains how the Age of Reptiles ended due to a giant asteroid, ushering in the Age of Birds. Yes, that's right - the Age of Mammals did not follow the Age of Reptiles in New Zealand; it was not man who inherited the Earth, but birds: lots and lots of birds.

Besides the surprising overlordship of the birds, the Auckland Museum also runs an exhibit detailing Auckland's special relationship with volcanoes. The Auckland region is home to 48 known volcanoes; the most recent eruption being Rangitoto 600 years ago (the ash from this eruption could be seen as far away as Rome). But, as the cruel exhibition repeatedly pointed out, you never know when the next one will be or where it will happen. One corner of the room housed a television with an imaginative news alert announcing that a volcano had erupted covering downtown Auckland in ash and taking the homes of Parnell and Mission Bay on a lava-ride. "That's my office, right there where that bubbling lava is," Bryan said, pointing to the images in the alarmist TV program. "You better hope we're at home when that volcano blows."

After learning about the awesome power of volcanoes to shape Auckland's history, Bryan and Jane decided they needed to see one of these monoliths in person. They chose to check out Mt. Eden, Auckland's largest volcano at 196 meters high or 643 feet. The trek up to the top began with a steep staircase, which appeared daunting at first but paled in comparison to the open road that actually lead to the top.

Close to the top of the volcano were a series of craters, the biggest one dipping down 50 meters or 164 feet. Due to erosion concerns, people are not allowed to walk down into the crater, but you are allowed to peer in from the top.

Upon reaching the top, Bryan and Jane were greeted by hordes of Japanese and British tourists who had taken the easy way up: buses. Views from the top were exquisite, taking in the surrounding suburbs, other volcanoes, and the bay.

Going down the volcano, Bryan and Jane stumbled upon a small herd of cows. "Are those wild cows?" Jane asked, confused as to why and how there came to be cows living freely on the side of a volcano. It seems that there are in fact 15-20 cows, left to graze on the volcano by the city. They wondered if the cows knew just how much danger they could potentially be in, living on the side of a volcano. The cows, however, didn't seem to mind.