Auckland

July 30, 2023  •  2 minutes  • 371 words  • Other languages:  Deutsch

For grocery shopping, we have since learned of another supermarket, which is located a little further from the center, but has a lot cheaper prices than the better-known chains. Since there is another volcano nearby, we stopped there for a short walk after going for groceries.

Like all volcanoes in Auckland, this one stands out with its lush greenery among the gray buildings of the city. Maungakiekie is one of the 14 ancestral mountains in Auckland, just like Maungawhau / Mount Eden, where we were a few weeks ago.

Maungakiekie is a historic Māori name meaning “Mountain of the Kiekie,” a native vine and valued weaving plant that once grew in abundance here. In addition to being one of the city’s largest volcanoes, it also hosted one of the most developed village settlements in Auckland and is now one of the largest pre-European archaeological sites in New Zealand.

Its four peaks were all heavily defended by ditches and wooden palisades. The flanks were shaped into terraces for dormitories, covered storage pits for seasonal storage of Kūmara (sweet potatoes) and other crops, garden mounds and earth oven.

The English name “One Tree Hill” refers to the single Monterey Pine that stood on the summit until it was attacked by a Māori with a chainsaw in the 1990s as a sign of protest against the consequences of colonization. It was eventually removed completely in 2000.

In 2016, a grove of Tōtara and Pōhutukawa was planted on the same site, with the intention that ultimately a single tree will remain if it is able to survive on its own.

Sir John Logan Campbell, a prominent landowner and community leader, died in 1912 and is buried at the top of Maungakiekie. The 21 m high obelisk, also located on the summit, was donated by him as a memorial to the Māori people.

As you might have seen from some of the photos in previous posts, the weather here often changes very quickly - as it did again today, when the rain cloud over downtown was gone after about 10 minutes. 😅