Welcome to the archive images of Tamaki Makaurau
Week 10
18/12/05
Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill)
Maungakiekie is named after the kiekie plant (Freycinetia banksii) and literally
means "mountain of the kiekie". Kiekie is a strong climbing plant which was used
by Maori to make mats and baskets. Te Totara i Ahua is the other Maori name
for this site and refers to the sacred Totara tree which grew on the summit.
Unfortunately this tree was cut down by vandals in the mid nineteenth century.
When Maungakiekie erupted, much of its lava flowed towards the Manukau Harbour,
covering a total of about 20 square kilometres. Fountaining came from three
vents so Maungakiekie now features one central, almost circular crater and two
'horseshoe' craters. Maungakiekie is Auckland's second largest volcano and one of
the 48 volcanoes that have erupted in the Auckland area. It is one of the better
preserved and more accessible of the Auckland volcanoes and also the most
extensively terraced of all Auckland's volcanoes. Over 170 of these terraces
remain on the site in Cornwall Park and on One Tree Hill Domain.
As other cones in the Tamaki region, Maungakiekie to was a site for 'pa' or
fortified villages. Maungakiekie was the head pa of the Te Wai o Hua tribe
after 1720 AD and the main pa of Kiwi Tamaki, who was the paramount chief
of the region.
Almost all of the volcanic cones and craters of Auckland can be seen from
Maungakiekie, truly making it the capital of Tamaki Makaurau.
The obelisk on Maungakiekie as viewed from the Southwestern Horseshoe crater.
Some terracing can be seen as it runs down to the base of the hill on every side.
This shows that all the available land was used for the town site.
The 50 minute trail up to Maungakiekie's summit
On our way up we found these sheep resting in the shade
The obelisk on top of Maungakiekie is 100 feet (30.5m) high. This was the
highest and most sacred area of the pa or fortified village, called tihi.
This monument was built prior to 1940 and unveiled after World War Two in 1948
Site of one of the defences to protect the summit.
The Waitakere Ranges can be seen in the background
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A sheep standing in one of the food storage pits. These rectangular pits were dug
for storing roots such as kumara (sweet potato) and other food. These pits were
covered with a roof, supported by wooden posts and a low door at one end. This
protected the stores from humidity by keeping the temperature constant
The view from the summit towards Rangitoto Island
The Central Crater as viewed from the summit. This crater is about 200 metres
wide and 30 metres deep. Scoria, which is pieces of solidified basalt lava froth,
usually red-brown in colour and irregularly shaped, can be seen in the roadside
cutting. The holes in the scoria are called "vesicles" and these are formed by
trapped gas bubbles in molten lava when it solidified
On the eastern horshoe crater, the terraced garden plots can be seen
Sir John Logan Campbell's Grave
3 November 1817 - 22 June 1912
He gifted Cornwall Park to the people of New Zealand in 1901
The inscription on his grave reads:
"Si monumentum requiris circumpsice" - "If you need a memorial look about you."
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but please credit the photographer
Suzette Bothma
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