Mount Eden Maungawhau

Maungawhau stands 196 metres above the city and is the highest of Auckland's fifty-odd volcanoes, with a crater about fifty metres deep - Te Ipu Kai a Mataaho, the food bowl of Mataaho - at the top. The slopes carry the visible terracing and storage pits of a large pre-European pa, one of the best preserved on the isthmus, and the maunga is of high significance to Auckland iwi; since 2014 it has been under the ownership of the Tupuna Maunga Authority. Two things follow from that and often surprise visitors: the summit road is closed to private vehicles, so you walk up from the lower car park, and entering the crater itself is not permitted. What you get at the top is the full 360-degree view of the isthmus, both harbours, Rangitoto and, on a clear day, the ranges. It is free, open, and the most convenient volcano in the city.

History

The name means "mountain of the whau tree", and Mount Eden honours George Eden, Earl of Auckland. Maungawhau was the principal pā of Huakaiwaka, ancestor of Waiohua, until around 1740, when his grandson Kiwi Tāmaki moved to Maungakiekie; in 1840 it marked the southern point of the land Ngāti Whātua gave for the new capital, and a water reservoir has stood on its northern side since the 1880s (Wikipedia, Maungawhau / Mount Eden).

What's there

• The crater - fifty metres deep, viewed from the rim.
• The pa terracing - storage pits and terraces on the slopes.
• The isthmus view - both harbours and Rangitoto from the summit.
• The walk up - the closed road, now for pedestrians.

When to go

Any time; sunrise and sunset are the best light and the busiest. October to April for reliable weather.

Practical notes

Private cars cannot drive to the summit and walking into the crater is prohibited - both are respected restrictions on a site of cultural significance, not oversights. It is exposed and windy at the top.

Nearby

One Tree Hill and the Auckland Domain are nearby cones; the city centre is 20 minutes away.

Key facts