Mount Victoria, Auckland
Mount Victoria (known to the Māori as Takarunga)[1] is the highest volcano on Auckland's North Shore, rising to 87 m. Its age is currently unknown. Its lava flows now line much of Devonport's waterfront. An important pa once occupied its slopes, and some of the pa's earthworks can still be seen.[2] A scoria mound known as Duders Hill, on Mount Victoria's southern slopes was mostly quarried away.
Named after Queen Victoria, the hill provides panoramic views of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour and the inner Hauraki Gulf. Over the years the peak and upper slopes have housed a signal station for shipping,[3], 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 Club.[4]
The slopes of Mount Victoria are also home to Devonport Primary School, a local tennis club, 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. [5]
References
- 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. ISBN 1-86962-014-3.
- 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. ISBN 0-908800-02-9.
- Ernest J. Searle, revised by Ronald D. Mayhill (1981). City of Volcanoes: A geology of Auckland. Longman Paul Ltd, Auckland. ISBN 0-582-71784-1.
- ^ Mt Victoria - Takarunga and the signal station, North Shore Times Advertiser, 19 December 2002. Entry at Newspaper Index, North Shore Local History, Auckland Council. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ Bulmer, Susan (1994). Sources for the archaeology of the Maaori settlement of the Taamaki volcanic district. Science & Research series, ISSN 0113-3713, number 63. Wellington, New Zealand: Department of Conservation. ISBN 0478015526. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ History of the signalman's house, Michael King Writers’ Centre. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ Devonport Folk Music Club, Devonport Directory. Retrieved 1 November 2010.
- ^ [1]
- Volcanoes of Auckland: The Essential guide - Hayward, B.W., Murdoch, G., Maitland, G.; Auckland University Press, 2011.
External links
- Media related to [//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Mount_Victoria,_Auckland Mount Victoria, Auckland] at Wikimedia Commons