Auckland has always been my volcanic playground. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve been fascinated by those cones scattered across the city. After years of exploring, I finally managed to tick off every single one. But that wasn’t enough. I hatched a seemingly crazy idea – to conquer them all again, but this time within a single day. And just like that, my personal challenge was born – 53 Volcanoes in 24 hours and perhaps a new world record for the most number of volcanoes visited in a 24 hour period. A good friend came along with me.
Of course, I wasn’t the first to consider this feat. I discovered an ultra-marathon runner had completed a similar challenge in 33 hours, and some students gave it a go earlier this year, but they missed Rangitoto and Motukorea Browns Island. The record – all 53 volcanoes in under 24 hours – was still up for grabs.
The challenge required meticulous planning. We mapped out a route, starting on Mangawhau Mt Eden, heading east to Rangitoto and Motukorea Browns Island, then south to McLaughlins Volcano, before tackling the west, central Auckland, and finally, the North Shore, where we’d finish at North Head Volcano. We had to estimate climbing times for each volcano and even factor in travel time between them to see if it was even possible.
Our route, covering all 53 volcanoes
Some of the volcanoes were on private land, which meant making a few calls to get permission. The staff at Go Media Stadium were incredibly helpful, even giving us access to climb to the top of the stadium – roughly the height of the old volcano that was quarried away.
Driving the whole way would have been tedious, so we decided to use a car to reach clusters of volcanoes and then run between them. We ended up running more than a full marathon!
Reaching the offshore islands of Rangitoto and Motukorea Browns Island meant arranging a boat. This went smoothly until our engine sputtered and died on the way back to the mainland. Talk about a challenge killer! Thankfully, our skipper managed to tinker with the outboard motor and get us going again.
Rangitoto was definitely my favourite. We sprinted to the top in just 15 minutes and then took a detour through a lava cave on the way down. The toughest climb? Māngere Lagoon, hands down. We ended up wading through knee-deep mud trying to reach the lagoon island.
Reaching the top of Rangitoto Volcano
By the final stages, exhaustion had set in. I felt dizzy and honestly didn’t think I’d make the last climb. But we dug deep and pushed through, finally conquering all 53 volcanoes in 15 hours and 15 minutes.
And guess what? We’re aiming for a Guinness World Record! We’ve submitted our adventure to be officially recognised as the most volcanoes ever visited in a single day.
This crazy adventure was about more than just ticking off a personal goal. Every volcano we summited helped raise vital funds for Trees for Survival.
At the summit of Mount Hobson
Date: Saturday, September 28th
Start: 5.20 / Mangawhau Mt Eden.
End: 8.35 / North Head Volcano
Total Time: 15 hours, 15 minutes