The Insider's Guide to New Zealand
One Tree Hill, Maungakiekie
It's easy to imagine that Auckland's second tallest volcano was once a sprawling, kūmara-dense Māori settlement. At its peak, thousands of Māori resided around the three pā that make up what is now known as One Tree Hill – despite the absence of a tree. The terraces cut into the dormant volcano remain and are a subtle reminder of the horticultural busy-ness of the area's first inhabitants. The aspect on a clear day rivals that of Mount Eden.
Today One Tree Hill is best known for the memorial perched at its peak, which can be seen from across the city. When Sir John Logan Campbell donated the land to the city in 1901, he requested an obelisk be built for the Māori people. It was later revealed that the Auckland mayor had reserved 5000 pounds in his will to fund the monument, which wasn't unveiled until 1948.
Sir John was buried on the summit next to the obelisk.
One Tree Hill is the highest part of Cornwall Park, a 270ha green oasis with winding paths, gardens, barbecue pits for picnics and hundreds of sheep and cows grazing along the way. As the inner-city's biggest green space, Cornwall Park always has something going on. Join the 5km group run every Saturday at 8am or take the kids to the Stardome (stardome.org.nz) for a planetarium show. Nothing, however, beats a spring-time stroll. City-dwellers flock to the park for newly bloomed flowers and to see the newborn lambs stumbling across the grass.
Access: Park near the summit road entrance, a short walk to the summit. It takes 20-30 minutes to walk from Cornwall Park to the summit.
cornwallpark.co.nz
It makes sense that Auckland's youngest volcano gets the most attention. The volcanic island is only 600 years old and, unlike some of its more lopsided siblings, spills into the Hauraki Gulf with near-perfect symmetry.
Rangitoto, the largest of Auckland's volcanoes, towers beyond the North Shore and is visible from many points in Auckland. It requires a 4-5 hour day trip into the Hauraki Gulf to reverse the vista, and trust us
– it's well worth it. Choose a cool day to visit because the lava fields make this island deceptively hotter than the mainland. Its arid terrain is one of the reasons that Māori never lived on the island, instead using Rangitoto as a lookout in times of war.
The hike to Rangitoto's summit is nothing like the grassy strolls on other Auckland volcanoes. This one-hour track (built by prisoners in the 1920s and 1930s) crosses broken lava fields, thick bush with kākāriki and saddlebacks singing above, and exposed parts of the trail that amplify the heat. At the top, pōhutukawa trees tumble across the island, making up the largest pōhutukawa forest in the world. The panoramic views stretch across the water from the Hūnua Ranges in the east and the Waitākere Ranges to the west. Take it easy on the way back down with a stroll through the pitch-black lava tunnels and kill time while waiting for the ferry by taking a look at one of the historic 1920s baches that dapple the coastline. Access: Take a 25-minute ferry from Auckland Ferry Terminal to Rangitoto. Ferries depart several times an hour and return trips end at 4pm. Wear appropriate shoes and bring plenty of food and water because there is nothing available on the island.