Mount Eden Auckland
Mount Eden Auckland (the 'Mountain of the Whau tree' in Maori) is one of the fifty volcanic cones in the area and is about 5 km south of the centre of Auckland New Zealand.
This is a great place to visit when you first get to this popular city because, being the highest natural point in the area, it provides fantastic views in all directions across Auckland region and surrounding landscape.
View Over Auckland from Mount Eden
This cinder mountain sees a lot of tourist visitors drive to the parking area at the top to take in the views over Auckland city, the harbour and famous bridge, and to the distant sea and mountains.
Up until a few years ago buses used to transport tourists up the hill but this was stopped in 2006 in an attempt to prevent any further damage to the cone through continuous heavy transport.
Mt Eden Volcano
The result of several volcanic eruptions of Mount Eden in Auckland was a series of craters with the Mt reaching over 190 metres high above sea level.
The site is now dormant and has not erupted for 15,000 years... the Aucklanders will be glad of that!
View from the volcano to other small volcanoes across Auckland
Maori Settlement
Before the arrival of Europeans, the mountain was utilised by various Maori tribes as a fortified hill pa and was occupied until around 1700 A.D.
The distinctive outline of ramparts and terraces can still be seen to this day as you can see in some of the photos on this page. It is said that occupation ended when the Tamaki were defeated by the Waiohua.
Climate
This area is one of the warmer temperate climates in New Zealand and in the past attracted settlement by Maori tribes due to the ideal conditions for growing tropical types of crops such as gourds and kumara.
The benefit of being able to fend off potential attacks from neighbouring tribes made it even more attractive for a settlement.
Views from Mount Eden
There are some images on this page that show you can just about see everything, from islands to mountains, and the sprawling houses of the city, to some of the many volcanoes dotted across the Tamaki Makaurau skyline.
My friend who is with me in the photo, lives in New Zealand and always takes her visitors up to this viewpoint first when she has picked them up from the airport.
Mount Eden Auckland Location
I recommend a visit to Mount Eden Auckland is a good way to start your New Zealand tour.
Particularly if you have been on an international air flight as we were. It was an excellent experience to be somewhere in the fresh air, and although the day wasn't really clear, we still got a fantastic view of part of the North Island within a short time of landing at the airport!