Matukutūruru

About

Matukutūruru (also Te Manurewa o Tamapahore or Wiri Mountain) is a volcano in Wiri, Auckland. Part of the Auckland volcanic field; it is one of the Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau (ancestral mountains of Auckland). Created by a series of eruptions 30,500 years ago, it had a scoria cone reaching approximately 60 metres higher than the surrounding land. The lava flows covered around 18 hectares and created the 290 metre long Wiri Lava Cave. Matukutūruru was the site of a terraced pā occupied by Te Waiohua. After European occupation the scoria cone was almost completely quarried away, with the removed material used for construction.

Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA). Photography via Wikimedia Commons.