AUCKLAND CITY
LANDMARKS
Auckland is a unique city built on a volcanic field. There are about 48
volcanoes in total, with some of the major ones – Rangitoto, Mt Eden, One
Tree Hill – being easily visible, whilst others have been quarried away.
RANGITOTO ISLAND
Rangitoto's name is derived from the phrase "Te Rangi i
totongia a Tamatekapua" - the day the blood of
Tamatekapua was shed. Tamatekapua was chief of the
Arawa canoe which arrived about 1350.
Rangitoto Island is the largest and youngest of 48 volcanic
cones and craters in Auckland and rises 259 metres above
the sea. The island has a large forest of pohutukawa trees.
It is the biggest pohutukawa forest in the country.
Basalt rock from Rangitoto was used to build the St Matthew’s in the City church
and St Paul’s.
One Maori myth believes that Rangitoto is where it is because of fairies. Some
say that Rangitoto once stood at Karekare in the Waitakere ranges. A fairy
tohunga objected to it blocking his view, so he picked it up, intending to carry it
far out into the Hauraki Gulf. However the sea water was too cold for him and he
ended up dropping it close to the shore.
Rangitoto erupted from the sea in a series of dramatic explosions around 600
years ago, and is now extinct, which means it will not erupt again.
Further eruptions (over 200 years) sent red hot lava flows down the sides of the
volcano, forming the black basaltic rock which makes up 95 per cent of the
island. Ash from the eruptions engulfed neighbouring Motutapu Island and the
Maori settlements there.
Rangitoto was used by early Maori as a lookout in times of war and as a parrot
reserve, or rahui-kaka. There are ancient Maori burial caves on the island, the
resting place for bones brought across from Motutapu Island.
Maori use of the island appears to have been limited compared with neighbouring
Motutapu and Motukorea (Browns Island). The Crown purchased Rangitoto in
1854. It was designated a public domain in 1890 and became a popular
destination for picnickers. During the 1920s and 1930s prisoners built
handpacked roads and trails, some of which are now used as walk-ways on the
island. They also constructed the stone walls around the landings and a
swimming pool.
Today, Ranigtoto Island is a scenic reserve with a variety of things to see and do
including, amazing summit views, a deep volcanic crater, lava flows and caves,
pohutukawa forest, WW2 sites, gull sites, and coastal and forest walks.
MT EDEN – (Maungawhau)
Mt Eden formed 20,000 to 30,000 years ago and is
the highest of Auckland’s land based volcanoes at
196 metres. There are three main craters which
give Mt Eden its oval shape. The violent eruption of
Mt Eden spewed out 162 million cubic metres of
lava, which is equivalent to 32,400 Olympic sized
swimming pools.
There is evidence of Maori settlement on Mt Eden
from about 800 years ago, up until the 1700’s when the pa was abandoned.
Occupation terraces, storage pits and house sites are evidence of former Maori
settlement. The large crater is known as Te Ipu a Mataoho (the food bowl of
Mataoho, the Maori god of volcanoes).
In 1840 the cone was one of three boundary points marking the original land
purchase for Auckland: it was named Mt Eden after George Eden (Lord Auckland).
Some of Auckland’s older buildings and most of the basalt kerb stones that line
the city streets were constructed using dressed stone quarried from lava flows at
Mt Eden. These quarries were operated for many years, but had closed down by
1928.
Groundwater soaks through Mt Eden’s porous basaltic lava flows and resurfaces
at Western Springs. The resulting lake was used as one of Auckland’s earliest
public water supplies between 1877 and 1910. Following water shortages in 1994
the groundwater supply was investigated as a potential emergency resource.
The summit is used as a key lookout point. Mt Eden is a popular park and key
stop on Auckland tourist routes. The cone complex is protected as both an
archaeological and a geological feature in the Auckland City Isthmus District Plan.
ONE TREE HILL
Maori name – Maungakiekie (hill of the
kiekie vine)
One Tree Hill erupted 20,000 to 30,000 years
ago and the lava flow spread 20 km’s across
Auckland.
The volcano got the name One Tree Hill because of the lone pine that used to
stand next to the monument. Originally the tree that was at the top of the hill
was a sacred totara tree. The tree was planted by Maori to celebrate the birth of
a son to the chief Tupaha (the totara tree was cut down by Pakeha settlers for
firewood). A pine tree was planted in replacement and became an Auckland icon.
The tree was attacked twice with chainsaws by Maori radicals in the 1990’s and
was removed in October 2000. (The pine was removed because it was dying and
at risk of falling down and causing damage).
In terms of the area covered, One Tree Hill is one of the largest volcanoes in the
Auckland Volcanic Field. It is a prominent Auckland landmark.
The monument at the top of the volcano is an obelisk and is the grave of Sir John
Logan Campbell who was a prominent Auckland figure. He was a member of
parliament, then Mayor of Auckland and was made a knight in 1902. In 1901
John Logan Campbell gifted the adjacent Cornwall Park to the city. He requested
the obelisk be built to commemorate the Maori people that used to live on
Maungakiekie (they were wiped out during Maori land wars).
One Tree Hill was the largest Maori fortress in Auckland. It is said to have had
over 170 constructed terraces focused around three fortifications and had
enormous kumara gardens. In order to build houses, the ground needed to be
flat. Maori carved out the terraces that are still visible today to create that flat
ground.
It is one of the largest Maori settlement complexes in Aotearoa (New Zealand)
and has been claimed to be the largest pre-historic earth fort in the world. The
cone and its surrounds are protected both as an archaeological and a geological
feature in the Auckland City Isthmus District Plan.
Some lava flows extend 2.4 km to the coast at Onehunga. These lava flows
contain many caves. Groundwater soakage in these lava flows provides a plentiful
water supply that is still in use today. Water supply wells in Onehunga are able to
provide more than 20 000 cubic metres of good quality drinking water per day.
One Tree Hill was quarried up until 1957. Approximately 25 000 cubic metres of
scoria has been removed by quarrying.
Today One Tree Hill is a popular recreational reserve. Its grassy slopes and
gardens are popular with picnickers and joggers. The summit is a popular look
out from which you can get a good perspective of the Auckland City. One Tree Hill
is also used for grazing stock.
THE DOMAIN
The Auckland Domain is the city's oldest park and is spacious and diverse. The 75
hectare park has been developed around the cone of an extinct volcano. The 'tuff
rings' created by volcanic activity thousands of years ago can be seen in the land
contours and form a natural amphitheatre with about 10 hectares developed as
first-class sports fields.
Te Wherowhero, Waikato's great fighting chief, came to the hill called Pukekaroa
to make peace with the feared Nga Puhi in the 1820's. And when Lieutenant
Governor Hobson founded the city of Auckland with the Ngati Whatua in 1840, he
reserved 200 acres around this same cone, it became the Auckland Domain, New
Zealand's oldest park.
Maori name – Pukekawa (hill of bitter memories). The name originally was ‘sour
hill’ and referred to the fact that no kumara would grow on the land. Now the
name commemorates the dead of ancient times.
The duck ponds were the first water supply resource to Auckland. As the city
grew, Western Springs replaced the duck ponds as the water supplier. At the
moment, the present reservoir stores four million gallons of water. It is located
underground, behind the museum. The water comes from the Hunua Ranges.
For flower enthusiasts, the Wintergardens are located in the Domain, and consist
of two display glasshouses (temperature averaging 20 degrees Celsius). One
glasshouse contains temperate plants and the other tropical plants. There is a
formal courtyard in the centre, as well as a fernery within an old quarry. The
Wintergardens are a popular place for wedding photos.
Entry to the
Wintergardens is free and opening hours are:
1 April – 31 October
Monday to Sunday 9am – 4.30pm
1 November – 31 March
Monday to Saturday 9am – 5.30pm
Sunday 9am – 7.30pm
The Auckland War Memorial Museum can also be found in the grounds of the
Domain. The Auckland Museum was New Zealand’s first museum, opening in
1852 and has extensive collections spanning three levels. The museum has the
world’s leading collection of Maori taonga (treasures), including a waka taua (war
canoe) from the 1830’s, three entire buildings, as well as many carvings and
cloaks from throughout New Zealand. The Museum has a constantly changing
array of exhibitions throughout the year. Opening hours are 10am – 5pm daily
(except Christmas Day and Anzac Day morning - 25 April). Entry is by donation;
a $5 donation is suggested for adults, children are free. Special exhibition entry
charges may apply.
ALBERT PARK
The park stands on the Symonds Street ridge, which was built up and broadened
by a thick layer of ash that erupted 60,000 years ago from a volcano situated
close to where Victoria Street East, Kitchener Street and Bowen Avenue meet.
Albert Park is also one of Auckland’s oldest volcanic landmarks, at approximately
125,000 years old.
Rangipuke is the name for the papakainga (village) that flourished here up until
the arrival of the Crown in 1840. It included a defended Pā - Te Horotiu, at the
north-western end of the park. Crops thrived on these volcanic soils with water
provided from the sacred spring - Te Wai Ariki (Chiefly Waters) near the High
Court.
The site became a defence post when the Albert Barracks were built in 1845.
Ironically Māori were employed to construct the defensive stone wall, during
preparations for the invasion of the Waikato. Settlers feared attack by Maori after
Governor Grey issued the "1863 Proclamation", declaring that all natives swear
allegiance to the Queen or withdraw south to the Waikato. Civil war ensued
interrupting 25 years of good relations between Maori and Pakeha.
When the army left, the site came under the jurisdiction of the city improvement
commissioners who set part aside as a public reserve
and laid out the remaining land as streets and
sections. In 1879 Auckland City Council took over
the site and held a competition to find a suitable
layout, which was won by an architect, James Slater.
By the 1880s most of the old barracks were cleared
away, paths and gardens were established and the
fountain, Albert Park House (formally the gardener's
cottage) and other improvements were added.
A corner of the park was taken in 1883 for the building that now houses the
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki. Originally it served as the public library and
Auckland City Council offices.
Since that time the greatest changes to the park probably occurred during World
War II when the old ornamental guns were buried and air raid shelters and
tunnels were dug under the park following the attack on Pearl Harbour.
Albert Park is now a popular recreation area for Auckland University students,
who can often be seen basking in the sun between lectures.
LAKE PUPUKE
Pupuke
is
the
shortened
form
of
Pupukemoana, meaning “overflowing lake”.
Lake Pupuke formed about 140,000-150,000
years ago and is the explosion crater of a
volcano. It is a fresh water lake.
Lake Pupuke is a valuable recreational asset.
It is used for water sports such as small sail
boating, kayaking, water skiing, and fishing. In 1884 Lake Pupuke was used to
provide a water supply to Devonport Borough. The water supply quickly became
insufficient and the old pump house (now a theatre) ceased operation in 1944.
MANGERE MOUNTAIN
Mangere Mountain is one of the least modified of the big cone pa sites, which
once dominated the Auckland skyline. The 50 volcanic cones in the area were
sought-after Maori settlement sites. Their warmer, friable volcanic soils were
more suitable in New Zealand's temperate climate for growing tropical crops like
kumara, taro and gourds and they offered a clear view of potential attackers.
On Mangere Mountain, just minutes from Auckland International Airport, you can
see the remains of what was once an extremely large eighteenth century Maori
fortified settlement, or pa. Low stone walls radiate out from the base of the
mountain, the remnants of the major Maori land boundaries that once divided the
landscape into large pie-shaped pieces.
These boundaries marked out gardens, houses and other living areas. There are
scores of house and garden terraces, walled garden mounds and stone boundary
walls inside the crater and kumara storage pits, along with innovative 3D
interpretation of the history of the site.
A series of cast iron and basalt sculptures by Steve Woodward show what life was
like there, including what foods were eaten and how they were cultivated, caught
and stored. Four large paintings by local artist Chris Gaskin also depict life on the
mountain, from the time of the last eruption 40,000 years ago, through 500
years of continuous Maori settlement, to the pastoral farms of European settlers.
The local iwi, Waiohua, centered around Makaurau Marae, are the direct
descendants of the people who built all the big fortified settlements on the
Auckland isthmus before the arrival of the Ngati Whatua from the Kaipara ( to the
north of Auckland), in the late eighteenth century.
NORTH HEAD
North Head was formed in a series of volcanic eruptions
over 50,000 years ago, and is one of the oldest volcanic
cones in the Auckland volcanic field.
First settled by Maori, it was one of three cone pa in the Devonport area. A
European visitor in the 1850s reported large areas of walled gardens and fish
drying racks on the flats below. In 1836 North Head was used as a pilot station
for the newly established European settlement in Auckland.
Maungauika (the Mountain of Uika) is an important place in traditional history.
Before the arrival of Europeans, Maori settled on the Devonport peninsula
attracted by the volcanic soils and rich marine environment.
The main pa (fortified settlement) appears to have been at nearby Takarunga (Mt
Victoria). Maungauika was also occupied by Maori. Early photographs show
remnants of Maori gardens on the hill's lower slopes, but there are no signs of the
earthwork defences prominent on Auckland's other volcanic cones. European
visitors in the 1850s describe a Maori settlement at the foot of North Head with
gardens and fish drying racks.
North Head is an historic reserve on Auckland’s North Shore. Strategically
located on a headland at the entrance to Auckland's harbour, North Head, or
Maunguika, commands sweeping views over the Hauraki Gulf and its islands. It
has a long history, first of Maori occupation, and then as an important New
Zealand coastal defence site.
It is considered the most significant coastal defence site in the country because of
the size and variety of its defence installations and the fact that it includes
elements from all periods of New Zealand's coast defence history spanning nearly
120 years of military history.
For the next 25 years up to 40 prisoners were kept busy rebuilding the
fortifications at North Head, directed by the Public Works Department. They lived
in a prison on the summit created from an army barracks.
This building, constructed in 1885, is still in place together with a small stone
kitchen block built at the same time. These are the two oldest buildings on North
Head. The prisoners dug tunnels, mixed and poured concrete and laid bricks.
Most of the tunnels, searchlights and underground spaces (engine rooms and
magazines) we can see today were built at this time.
Other gun emplacements were added at the turn of the century and in the 1930s,
with war again possible, parts of the old fort at North Head were modernised.
New engines were put into the engine rooms and more searchlights were built.
During WWII, North Head was the main administrative centre for Auckland's
coast defences. The regimental headquarters were here and a large number of
new barracks and offices were built, some of which survive today.
By the end of the 1950s the coast defence system was scrapped and the army
left North Head, which became a reserve in the Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park. The
navy, however, remained on the summit where they ran a training school. They
left in 1996 and now the whole area is administered by the Department of
Conservation.
AUCKLAND HARBOUR BRIDGE
The Auckland Harbour Bridge was built in 1959 to connect Auckland city with the
North Shore. The harbour bridge was built between St Marys Bay and Northcote
Point because it was the narrowest stretch of water between the two pieces of
land. They decided to build a harbour bridge because the traffic wanting to go
from Auckland City to the North Shore or vice versa was growing all the time and
the trip round the harbour through West Auckland used to take hours. Before the
bridge was built, ferry was the main form of transportation to get from one side
of Auckland to the other. The bridge was not built at the Auckland Wharf area so
it wouldn’t be in the way of the container ships that come into the wharf with
goods and people.
When the bridge was first built it only had
four lanes but after a few years they needed
to make the bridge bigger to cope with all the
traffic so they added two lanes to each side.
The new lanes were called “clippons” because
they were made in Japan, shipped to New
Zealand on huge ships and then clipped into
place with huge steel pins and rods.
WAITAKERE RANGES
The Waitakere Ranges are a half hour drive to the west of Auckland city. They
are the remnants of a volcano that erupted and then was eroded to leave the
Waitakere Ranges as they are today. Now they are covered in dense forest which
houses many native trees such as rimu, kahikatea and matai. Unique beaches
Piha, Karekare, and Muriwai line the west coast of Auckland and their black sand
and pounding surf make them popular destinations for Aucklander’s and tourists.
OTHER AUCKLAND ATTRACTIONS
KELLY
TARLTON’S
UNDERWATER WORLD
ANTARCTIC
ENCOUNTER
AND
Kelly Tarlton’s is an underwater aquarium and an Auckland icon. Located on
Tamaki Drive, you will find many exciting and interesting things to look at.
Stingray Bay is a new addition, which allows visitors to view stingrays up close.
There is the Antarctic experience where you will find penguins in a replicated
Antarctic environment and Scott’s Hut, a life-size replica of Antarctic explorer
Captain Robert Scott’s hut.
Kelly Tarlton’s is open 365 days a year from 9am to 6pm.
THE AUCKLAND ZOO
The Auckland Zoo has recently undergone major renovations and is now a world
class zoo operating many conservation programmes.
Most animals are in
enclosures that replicate their natural environment.
The zoo offers community events such as ‘Music in the Zoo’ featuring local bands,
and ‘Zoohaha” a showcase of local comedic talent.
The zoo is open every day except Christmas Day from 9.30am to 5.30pm.
MOTAT
The Museum of Transport and Technology is located just west of the central city.
It has many permanent and touring exhibitions, which showcase early
technological inventions and demonstrate developments over time. MOTAT has in
its possession over 300,000 items covering everything from fire engines to World
War 2 planes, steam trains to a fully functioning tram line.
MOTAT is open 7 days a week from 10am to 4.30 pm.
WESTERN SPRINGS PARK
Maori name – Te Wai Orea (waters of the eel)
Western Springs Lakeside surrounds a natural spring-fed lake, one of Auckland’s
early water supplies. Around the shores and wetlands, wild fowl including native
Pūkeko, Teal, Australian Coot and Shovelers can be freely viewed amongst
regenerating native plants, wide-open lawns, gardens, water gardens and water
lilies.
RAINBOWS END THEME PARK
Rainbow’s End Theme Park is located just off the Southern Motorway in Manukau
City. It is open 7 days a week (closed Christmas Day) from 10am. With a wide
range of rides, it’s suitable for a fun family day out.
NZ NATIONAL MARITIME MUSEUM
This museum can be found in the heart of Auckland’s downtown Viaduct area.
The New Zealand National Maritime Museum collects and exhibits a diverse range
of nautical and historical artefacts that represent New Zealand maritime history
from the earliest Polynesian arrivals to modern day seafaring. The museum has
many interesting nautical things to look at and learn about, including:
•
The Pacific Discovery Theatre and 'Te Waka: Our Great Journey', the
museum's orientation experience.
•
14 Main Exhibition Galleries showcasing New Zealand's maritime history.
•
Heritage vessels (steam and sail), for inspection and cruises
The Museum is open every day except Christmas Day.
9am - 6pm Summer (October - April)
9am - 5pm Winter
Entry – Adults $12, Senior Citizens $8, Students and Children $6, Family Passes $28
VICTORIA PARK MARKET
Victoria Park Market is a unique shopping destination. Originally built as a
rubbish incinerator, it was transformed into a shopping market in 1981. A wide
range of clothing, souvenirs and trinkets can be found in the numerous shops and
stalls within the markets. Victoria Park Market has live entertainment in the
weekends, during lunch-time and over school and public holidays.
WAIHEKE ISLAND
Waiheke Island in the Hauraki Gulf is well known for its vineyards and amazing
beaches. There is a wide range of things to do including wine trails, mystery road
tours, boat and fishing charters or sea kayaking. Fuller’s ferries run daily from
downtown Auckland. Call 367 9111 or email [email protected]
MAORI HISTORY
Maori mythology attributes the formation of Auckland's volcanoes to a great
battle fought between two forest dwelling peoples, who lived in the Waitakere and
Hunua ranges on opposite sides of the volcanic field. As the battle raged, a
tohunga from the Hunua side caused the sun to rise early, which blinded their
opponents and allowed many of them to be killed.
The Hunua warriors then attempted to reach the Waitakere ranges to finish the
battle, but were stopped in their tracks by volcanic explosions, lava and ash,
invoked by the deity Mataoho at the request of a Waitakere tohunga. The
volcanoes that now dot the Auckland landscape are said to be the remains of this
volcanic upheaval.
Since soon after their arrival in Aotearoa, Maori chose to make the Auckland
district their home, settling close to many of Auckland's volcanoes so they could
utilise the rich, fertile soils for gardening and take advantage of the steep sided
volcanic cones as defensive pa. The volcanic cones are believed to have been
used as occupation sites from the 14th century and became increasingly fortified
from the 17th century on.
Evidence of past Maori activity can be seen at a number of archaeological sites,
including pa, terrace and food storage pits on or near Auckland's volcanoes. For
example, impressive and complex earthworks of pa can be seen on cones like
Maungawhau (Mt Eden), Mangere Mountain (see the image above) and
Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill). The final development of such sites may have
taken generations as all earthmoving was done by hand, aided only by stone and
wooden tools.
Probably even more numerous than the pa are other earthworks associated with
dwelling places and food storage. They include; terraces, which were built
primarily as house sites, and were later developed for defensive purposes,
platforms and numerous types of pits.
Maori cleared large areas of volcanic stone to develop garden plots. They shifted
soil from exposed areas to artificially deepen the garden soils. At Maungakiekie
(One Tree Hill) it is estimated that there were 1000 hectares of gardens on the
extensive volcanic soils surrounding the cone.
The rock cleared from the lava stone fields was used in several ways. Stone walls
were built to mark the pathways through garden systems or as housing
foundations, which were rectangular with an entranceway. Alternatively, volcanic
rock was heaped up and covered in soil, which then warmed up, enabling an
extended growing season. Other uses included row alignments, platforms,
pavements, sub-surface drainage systems, houses, shelters, stone-faced pits and
terraces, stone walled defences and retaining walls. Evidence of these structures
remains today, and can be seen in a number of sites throughout Auckland.
In the 1700s the Waiohua people from the Tamaki (Auckland)
isthmus were forced to abandon their pa after invasion from
the Ngati Whatua (from Kaipara region). Then in the 1820's,
Ngapuhi raiders from the north came wielding muskets forcing
the Ngati Whatua to move on. European settlers arrived soon
after and the isthmus became virtually deserted (Jamieson,
1992). Massive landscape changes followed this, and the
isthmus eventually developed into the modern city of
Auckland.
REFERENCES
Allen, S.R., and Smith, I.E.M., 1994, Eruption Styles and Volcanic Hazard in
Auckland Volcanic Field, New Zealand, Geoscience Reports of Shizuoka University,
No. 20, pp. 5-14.
Jamieson, A., Sept. 1992. Volcanic Auckland, New Zealand Geographic, No. 16,
pp. 90-113. Cameron, E., Hayward, B., Murdoch, G., 1997. A Field Guide to
Auckland – Exploring the Region’s Natural and Historical Heritage, Godwit
Publishing Ltd, Auckland, New Zealand.
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Conservation/Historic/Auckland-Historic-Areas/NorthHead-Historic-Reserve/index.asp#Historic-reserve
http://www.doc.govt.nz/Conservation/Historic/Auckland-Historic-Areas/MangereMountain/index.asp