Ōhuiarangi Pigeon Mountain

Pigeon Mountain (, officially Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain) is a high volcanic cone and Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountain) at Half Moon Bay, near Howick and Bucklands Beach, in Auckland, New Zealand. It is part of the Auckland volcanic field.

Geography

The volcano erupted around 24,000 years ago, forming a large crater and tuff ring about 500 meters wide. The prominent tuff ring is still clearly visible extending in an arc south of Sunderlands Road. Two much smaller craters were formed to the north west of the main cone. The smaller lies buried under Pigeon Mountain Road outside number 18, and the other forms Heights Park, a private reserve for the owners of 29–41 Pigeon Mountain Road and 14–36 Prince Regent Drive and 33–39 Tyrian Close.

History

Māori history

The hill has several known traditional names in Māori. One is , shortened to Pakuranga, which refers to a legendary battle between the supernatural Tūrehu people that begun at the hill. Two other names include and , the latter which literally means "the desire of Rangi". refers to the early Tāmaki Māori ancestress Huiarangi, daughter of Tāmaki and granddaughter of Maruiwi of the early iwi Te Tini o Maruiwi and Ngāti Ruatāmore, an ancestor of Ngāi Tai ki Tāmaki. When Tāmaki Makaurau was visited by the ancestor Toi-te-huatahi, Huiarangi was one of the most prominent Te Tini o Maruiwi figures in the early settlement of Tāmaki Makaurau.

The slopes of Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain became an important site for agriculture, and extensive stonefield gardens were constructed here. The hill was known as a location for snaring kererū, and a defensive pā was constructed at the peak. Over time, the people who settled at the mountain came to identify themselves as the iwi Ngāriki. In the 17th century, Ngāi Tai warrior Kapetaua attacked the pā, after which Kapetaua's people built a smaller pā on the hill. The hill was occupied until the early 1820s. The Ōhuiarangi pā and surrounding area were evacuated during the Musket Wars, and a tapu was placed on the land due to the events of the conflict.

European history

Early European settlers named the hill Pigeon Mountain, after the many kererū feeding on the pigeonwood trees seen here. The mountain was extensively quarried from 1913 to the 1970s, with the entire north half of the volcano removed. It was first quarried for roading metal by Fencibles from the 1847 Fencibles settlement at Howick. In the 1920s the Shaw brothers worked with Harold Kearney, Dud Langdon and Jim Taylor using a pair of draught horses to pull a dray loaded with metal. In 1848 John Campbell and James Smyth, both from the fencible ship ''Sir Robert Sale'', had the contract to spread metal on the road from Howick to Panmure, for which they were paid per day. At that time the mountain was named Pigeon Tree Hill.

The 5 acre farm immediately to the south was owned by the 1847 Irish Fitzpatrick family of Patrick and Ann who came in the ''Minerva'' fencible ship. They lived in a raupo hut at Howick for two years. They had had 12 children, 9 of whom survived. The children all attended Pakuranga school, a short distance across the paddocks to the south east. Fitzpatrick later bought other land around Pigeon Mountain at Hutchinson Road and Bucklands Beach Road, expanding his farm to 20 acres. A photo taken of the Pakuranga Cricket club, which played at Pigeon Mountain, shows 6 of the 16 players were from the Fitzpatrick family. His original fencibles cottage was still in use in the 1960s by two of his grandsons who were the caretakers of the Pigeon Mountain sports ground in their youth. On their death the cottage was placed at the Howick Historical Village. A number of Fencibles' widows also received land south of Pigeon Mountain which was very swampy. Margaret Coyle received 4 acres of land where Pakuranga College is today.

In 1929 a fresh water spring was uncovered and water was piped to Howick and district at a cost of £9,340.

Artefacts as well as skulls were found at the site in the 1960s by students from Pakuranga College.

The north face is partly fenced off and is an almost vertical drop of . In the southwest corner there is a playing field built on a free-draining scoria base. On the quarried north-western side is a kindergarten and Scout hall.

Treaty settlement

In the 2014 Treaty of Waitangi settlement between the Crown and the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau collective of 13 Auckland iwi and hapū (also known as the Tāmaki Collective), ownership of the 14 Tūpuna Maunga of Auckland, was vested to the collective, including Ōhuiarangi / Pigeon Mountain. The legislation specified that the land be held in trust "for the common benefit of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau and the other people of Auckland". The Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority or Tūpuna Maunga Authority (TMA) is the co-governance organisation established to administer the 14 Tūpuna Maunga. Auckland Council manages the Tūpuna Maunga under the direction of the TMA.

As part of a plan to restore the hill, including native vegetation and native wildlife habitats, around 112 exotic trees, including pests, have been removed and 33,000 new native trees and shrubs are being planted. The work aims to and enhance sightlines to the summit and preserving historic features.

Notes

References

Further reading

*''Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide''. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. .

{{Howick Local Board Area

Auckland volcanic field
Parks in Auckland
Mountains of the Auckland Region
Howick Local Board Area
East Auckland