Auckland, New Zealand

January 8, 2023

When we were last in Auckland, we started climbing its volcanic peaks, of which there are quite a few. So far, we have summited Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill), Maungawhau (Mt. Eden), Maungakiekie (Mt. Wellington), Maungauika (North Head), Ohinerau (Mt. Hobson), and Te Kopuke (Mt. St. John). Today, we climbed Owairaka / Te Ahi-ka-a-Rakataura (Mt. Albert).

With an elevation of 135 m (443 ft), Mt. Albert is named for Queen Victoria’s consort, Prince Albert. It also has two Maori names. Owairaka means Place of Wairaka. Wairaka was the daughter of Toroa, the commander of one of the great voyaging canoes (wakas) that first brought the Maori to Aotearoa (New Zealand) from their ancestral home of Hawaiki. Whakatane, a town in New Zealand, gets its name as the place where she saved the tribe’s waka from drifting out to sea. The men had gone ashore and the canoe began to drift out to sea. Women were not allowed to paddle the waka but Wairaka, noticing the adrift canoe sprung into action. Summoning other women, she called out “Kia whakatane au i ahau“ (“I will act like a man”), and together they paddled the waka back to shore.

The other Maori name, Te Ahi-ka-a-Rakataura (The long fires of Rakataura) refers to its long occupation by Rakataura (also known as Hape) another of the legendary Polynesian navigators who led the Maori from Hawaiki to Aotearoa.

Like the other volcanic peaks in the region, Mt. Albert was the home of a Maori pa (fortified village). Many of the earthworks and terraces are still visible. The volcano sits in the middle of the suburb bearing the same name which is represented in parliament by Jacinda Arden, New Zealand’s Prime Minister.

The view from the top.

At the top of Mt. Albert are fields and shady trees.