Mount Victoria, also known as Matairangi and colloquially as Mt Vic, is a prominent hill immediately to the east of central

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. About 4 kilometres due south is a spur named Mount Albert and the two are linked by a ridge. Mount Victoria gives its name to the suburb of Mount Victoria to the west.

History

Mount Victoria's original

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the C ...

name is Tangi Te Keo, though Matairangi is also used. The first name derives from a legend in which two taniwha tried to escape from Wellington Harbour which was then an enclosed lake. One taniwha became stranded and died, and its spirit turned into a bird named Te Keo, which flew to the top of the mountain and mourned (tangi).Te Ara: The New Zealand Encyclopedia. Story: Taniwha. http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/taniwha/page-2 The second name translates as "to examine the sky". In 1931, the

Mount Victoria Tunnel The Mount Victoria Tunnel in the New Zealand capital city of Wellington is 623 metres (slightly more than a third of a mile) long and 5 metres (16.4 ft) in height, connecting Hataitai to the centre of Wellington and the suburb of Mount Vic ...

was opened, connecting the suburbs of Mount Victoria and

Hataitai Hataitai is an inner-city suburb of Wellington, the capital of New Zealand, 3.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre. The suburb extends over the southeastern flank of Mount Victoria and down a valley between the Town Belt and a ridge alon ...

. Television broadcasts began in Wellington on 1 July 1961, broadcast from a transmitter atop Mount Victoria. In 1967, the Mount Victoria transmitter was replaced with a more powerful transmitter at Mount Kaukau.

Amenities

Mount Victoria is a popular walk for tourists and Wellingtonians alike, as from the summit one can see most of Wellington. There are numerous mountain bike and walking tracks on the hill.

Gallery

Wellington, 1885 (4839911892).jpg, Mount Victoria in 1885 Flickr - brewbooks - i110405 293.jpg, The New Zealand National Memorial to Rear Admiral

Richard E. Byrd Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...

Transmission Tower, Mount Victoria, Wellington (6988992278).jpg, The Mount Victoria Transmission Tower Neuseeland 146 (2794924125).jpg, View of Wellington City from Mount Victoria

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mount Victoria Wellington hill Victoria Tourist attractions in Wellington City Parks in Wellington City