South Auckland's Volcanic Field
Some of Auckland's most significant volcanoes sit in the south, around Māngere and Manukau, and most visitors never see them. Māngere Mountain and the Ōtuataua Stonefields hold deep Māori history in the volcanic soil.
What volcanoes are in South Auckland?
A whole cluster of them. The southern reaches of the field include Māngere Mountain, Māngere Lagoon, Maungataketake, Ōtuataua, Pukeiti and Puketutu near the Manukau Harbour, plus Wiri Mountain, McLaughlins Mountain and the Matukutūreia and Crater Hill craters further out. Together they form a major part of the volcanic field that sees a fraction of the visitors the central cones do.
Māngere Mountain
Māngere Mountain (Te Pane o Mataaoho) is one of the best preserved cones in Auckland, with a deep crater and a distinctive lava dome in its centre. It was an important pā, terraced and gardened by Māori in the rich volcanic soil, and much of that landscape survives. It is a rewarding climb with strong views over the Manukau Harbour, and far quieter than Maungawhau.
The Ōtuataua Stonefields
Near the airport, the Ōtuataua Stonefields are a rare survival of the gardens Māori and later European settlers built in the volcanic terrain. Stone walls, mounds and cleared planting areas spread across the lava field, a working record of how the rich volcanic soil was used for centuries. It is a significant heritage landscape and one of the most distinctive places in the southern field.
Why they matter
Because they hold history the central cones have largely lost to the city. The southern volcanoes preserve pā terraces, stone gardens and crater shapes in a more open, less built-over landscape. They were prized for exactly the same reasons as the central maunga, fertile volcanic soil and defensible high ground, and they tell that story with less of the modern city laid over the top.
See the field most visitors miss
Volcanic AKL maps the whole field, including the southern cones and stonefields around Māngere and Manukau. Works offline on the maunga.
Explore Volcanic AKLRelated: What are the tūpuna maunga?