The Albert Park Volcano was one of the volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field in New Zealand. A small volcano that erupted approximately 145,000 years ago, the volcanic remnants were quarried during the early colonial

history of Auckland The human history of the Auckland () metropolitan area stretches from early Māori settlers in the 14th century to the first European explorers in the late 18th century, over a short stretch as the official capital of (European-settled) New Zea ...

between 1840 and 1869. The volcano was dwarfed by the pre-volcanic sandstone ridge of Albert Park directly to the south-east, and only recognised as volcanic by

Ferdinand von Hochstetter Christian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter (30 April 1829 – 18 July 1884) was a German-Austrian geologist. Career Having received his early education at the evangelical seminary at Maulbronn, Ferdinand proceeded to the University o ...

when he visited Auckland in 1859.

Geology

Auckland from the SSW Taken in July 1849 - cropped

The volcano erupted an estimated 145,000 years ago. The initial phase began with wet, explosive eruptions that deposited up to 8 metres of a thick ash layer around the Queen Street Valley area. Later eruptions changed to a dry fountaining style, allowing a small scoria mound to form. A lava flow from the western base of the cone flowed down the Queen Street Valley, which dammed the

Waihorotiu Stream Waihorotiu (from the Māori language, Māori Wai Horotiu), sometimes called the Waihorotiu Stream and the 'Queen Street River', is a stream that ran down the Queen Street, Auckland, Queen Street gully in the Auckland CBD, New Zealand, into the Wa ...

and formed a swamp where the stream met the

Waitematā Harbour Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is one of two harbours adjoining the city. The harbour forms the northern and easter ...

, creating an alluvial flat between Victoria Street and

Wellesley Street Wellesley may refer to: * People Dukes of Wellington * Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), British soldier, statesman, and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom * Arthur Wellesley, 2nd Duke of Wellington (1807–1884), Briti ...

, near the modern location of Aotea Square.

History

The area to the north-west of Albert Park was known as Rangipuke to

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori '' iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M ...

, and was the location of the

kāinga A kāinga ( Southern Māori ''kaika'' or ''kaik'') is the traditional form of village habitation of pre-European Māori in New Zealand. It was unfortified or only lightly fortified, and over time became less important to the well-defended pā. ...

. European settlers began to live in the Queen Street Valley in 1840, after the signing of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi ( mi, Te Tiriti o Waitangi) is a document of central importance to the History of New Zealand, history, to the political constitution of the state, and to the national mythos of New Zealand. It has played a major role in ...

and Auckland being chosen as the new capital for the colony. Scoria from the volcano began to be used to help build roads in the central city, founded adjacent to the volcano. Most information about the volcano comes from an early description by surveyor

, who visited Auckland in 1859 and recognised the volcanic nature of the upper Albert Park area. By 1869, almost all surface-level scoria from the cone had been quarried away by early settlers. In the 1870s, when major sewer work around the

Albert Barracks The Albert Barracks was a major British military installation that overlooked Auckland, New Zealand, from the mid-1840s to 1870, during the city's early colonial period. The perimeter wall was built between 1846 and the early 1850s, in the area ...

was being undertaken, contractors discovered a ''

Leptospermum scoparium ''Leptospermum scoparium'', commonly called mānuka, () mānuka myrtle, New Zealand teatree, broom tea-tree, or just tea tree, is a species of flowering plant in the myrtle family (biology), family Myrtaceae, native plant, native to New Zealan ...

'' (mānuka) tree stump, imbedded in clay and but covered in stratified layers of volcanic ash. When the

Albert Park tunnels The Albert Park tunnels are found largely beneath Albert Park, in central Auckland, New Zealand. The tunnels were constructed as air raid shelters during the Second World War. At the conclusion of the war they were sealed to prevent vandalism ...

were being constructed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, it was noted that scoria was only present at the northern sides of the park and not the southern. In 2006, a planned extension of the Auckland Art Gallery was temporary halted due to objections made by the Auckland Volcanic Cones Society, however a geological report found that the planned extensions were in ash-blanketed areas, and not the scoria cone remnants itself.

References

{{Auckland volcanic field Albert Park, Auckland Auckland CBD Auckland volcanic field Mountains of the Auckland Region