Mount Victoria, officially Takarunga / Mount Victoria, is the highest volcano on Auckland's North Shore, rising to 66 metres in elevation. Its age is currently unknown. Its lava flows now line much of Devonport's waterfront. Mount Victoria was the location of an important pā used by Tāmaki Māori peoples. In the late 19th century, a gun fort was built on top of the hill, in order to defend the city of Auckland. As a designated tūpuna maunga, the mountain has been governed by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, along with thirteen other cones throughout Auckland, since 2014.

Geography

The hill provides panoramic views of Auckland's Waitematā Harbour and the inner Hauraki Gulf. Over the years the peak and upper slopes have housed a signal station for shipping, artillery emplacements, farmland, and various concrete army bunkers, some from as early as the 1870s. One bunker now serves as the venue for the Devonport Folk Music Club.

The slopes of Mount Victoria are also home to Devonport Primary School, Takarunga Playcentre, a tennis court, a cemetery, a water reservoir which maintains supply to the area, and a scenic lookout. The old Signalman's House is now home to the Michael King Writers Centre which provides writers-in-residence programmes, hosting for visiting writers, residential workshops for experienced writers, and a series of workshops for young poets and emerging writers. The writer-in-residence programmes are supported by Creative New Zealand and the University of Auckland.

History

An important pā once occupied its slopes; some of its earthworks can still be seen. In the 18th century, Mount Victoria was seasonally occupied by Waiohua paramount chief Kiwi Tāmaki, during the seasons for bird catching and preservation. The Māori language name, Takarunga, literally means "The Hill Standing Above", and contrasts with Mount Cambria, a now-quarried hill known to Māori as (tl. "The Hill Standing Below"). A scoria mound known as Duders Hill, on Mount Victoria's southern slopes was mostly quarried away.

French navigator Jules Dumont d'Urville climbed the hill in 1827, and it was given the name Mount Victoria, referring to Queen Victoria, by early settlers.

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File:MtVictoria.1.jpg|The north side of Mount Victoria, seen from Lake Road

File:Mount Victoria from Mount Cambria Reserve.jpg|Mount Victoria seen from Mt Cumbria Reserve to the northeast

File:The Bunker, Mt Victoria, Auckland.jpg|The Bunker, home of the Devonport Folk Club

File:Disappearing gun on Mount Victoria.jpg|alt=BL 8 inch Mk VII Disappearing gun at the summit of Mount Victoria.|BL 8 inch Mk VII Disappearing gun at the summit of Mount Victoria

File:Mt Victoria Mushrooms.jpg|'Mushrooms' on top of the hill, which are in fact vents for a water pumping station

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References

  • Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. .

Further reading

  • Bruce W. Hayward, Graeme Murdoch and Gordon Maitland (2011). Volcanoes of Auckland: The Essential guide. Auckland University Press, Auckland. .
  • Ewen Cameron, Bruce Hayward and Graeme Murdoch (1997). A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historic Heritage. Godwit Publishing Ltd, Auckland. .
  • Lloyd Homer, Phil Moore and Les Kermode (2000). Lava and Strata: A guide to the volcanoes and rock formations of Auckland. Landscape Publications Ltd, Wellington in association with the Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences, Lower Hutt. .
  • Ernest J. Searle, revised by Ronald D. Mayhill (1981). City of Volcanoes: A geology of Auckland. Longman Paul Ltd, Auckland. .
  • Michael King Writers' Centre
  • Devonport Folk Music Club
  • Photographs of Mount Victoria held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.