Auckland – city of volcanoes

Auckland’s volcanoes range in age from 600 years to more than 250,000.

The biggest sleeping giants are easy to spot around the city.

Now dormant and rich in history, the many volcanic sites scattered around the Auckland region are mostly used as public spaces.

Mt Eden, One Tree Hill and Mt Victoria make great candidates for the perfect picnic site.

Whether it’s to catch a sunrise or a sunset, take a bit of exercise or just to check out the views, visiting some of Auckland’s volcanic sites can make for a great trip.

The Auckland region is home to more than 50 volcanoes that cover 360 square kilometres.

It is expected those dormant mountains won’t erupt again and any future eruptions will occur in new, unknown locations.

Many of the volcanic cones were occupied by Maori as pa sites before European settlement, and many terraces and other archaeological remnants are still visible.

In 2007 the volcanic field was submitted as a World Heritage Site candidate based on its unique combination of natural and cultural features.

Based on the number and frequency of past eruptions it is estimated there is about a 1 in 1000 chance an eruption could occur in any one year.

This means that there is an 8 per cent probability (1 in 12.5 chance) an eruption will occur in the Auckland Volcanic Field over any 80-year period.

Photo: ANTONIA ANDERSON Mt Victoria, left, and North Head, right, shadowed by Rangitoto in the background. Mt Victoria (Takarunga) is the highest volcano on the North Shore at 87m and its age is unknown. An important pa once occupied its slopes, and some of its earthworks can...

Photo: MICHAEL BRADLEY Rangitoto Island is the youngest of Auckland’s volcanoes and sits in the Hauraki Gulf. Rangitoto erupted during its formation 600 years ago and is the only outbreak to have been witnessed by humans, as footprints have been found between layers of...

One Tree Hill, Maungakiekie, is a 182m volcanic peak and is an important memorial place for Maori and European New Zealanders. In the early 1700s Maungakiekie was the largest and most important Maori pa. The cone and its surroundings are estimated to...

Photo: ANTONIA ANDERSON Mt Eden (Maungawhau) is the highest scoria cone on land in the Auckland region at 196m above sea level, with a bowl-like crater that plummets to 50m deep. The volcano erupted from two craters 28,000 years ago, with the last eruptions from the southern...