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Mt Eden area - Maungawhau Heritage Walks
Introduction
| Early development
| Mt Eden Village Walk
| Mt Eden Neighbourhood Walk
| Mt Eden industrial area
| Eden Valley Shopping Centre
Early development of Maungawhau, The Mt Eden area
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View towards Mt Eden Road
in 1905 |
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Ta-maki Makaurau, the Auckland
isthmus, is renowned throughout Aotearoa as having the most
formidable and elaborately fortified pain Aotearoa - New Zealand.
Maungawhau (Mt Eden) formed part of a network of pa- together with
Te Whau (Blockhouse Bay) to the west, Maungakiekie(One Tree
Hill) to the south and Maungarei (Mt Wellington) to the east that
saw Ta-maki Makaurau become the most populous and thriving centre
of Maori civilization, with Maungawhau itself home to thousands.
The ancient volcanic cone
fortress became the citadel of Te Hua Kai Waka, a rangatira who united
the various tribes of the Ta-maki Isthmus under the confederation known
as Te Waiohua. Under his reign, Ta-maki saw an unprecedented period of
peace and prosperity that lead to the saying, 'Te pai me te whai
rawa o Ta-maki', 'The wealth and luxury of Ta-maki'.
In 1841, Ngati Whatua
rangatira, Apihai Te Kawau, defined from the summit of Maungawhau what
would become the largest Polynesian city in the world, with a
3,000-acre gift of land to the colonial government.
With the "Musket Wars"
recently ended and a shaky peace installed, Te Kawau sent his
son Te Hira to the Bay of Islands in the north, into hostile territory,
to 'fetch' Governor Hobson offering him land if he would come to
Ta-maki Makaurau.
This block of land has its apex at Maungawhau with the
western boundary in a straight line out to Opou (Coxs Creek) while the
eastern boundary is at Mataharehare (Hobson Bay).
Governor Hobson
arrived a year after that visit and was given another 8,000 acre block
of land ensuring Pakeha amongst their midst and laying the
foundation for a hoped-for bi-cultural nation.
Titahi is the famed engineer
credited for designing massive earthworks to create the volcanic pa- of
Ta-maki Makaurau. He is said to have modelled the elaborate earthworks on
his moko.
Maungawhau is named after the Whau tree, one of the
world's lightest woods it was used for fishing floats and utility rafts. New
cultivation techniques brought from the Pacific saw massive production
of Taro and Kumara. Huge gardens spread from the base of
Maungawhau through the modern day Mt Eden suburb with volcanic rocks
used as passive solar heating for seed raising beds to help tropical crops
adapt to the colder environment.
Te Tuahu o Hua Kai Waka on the
slopes of Maungawhau is the ancient shrine where ceremonies were
performed for significant events and battles. Maungawhau is also
the repository of koiwi (human remains) with burials across the
mountain and the Mt Eden suburb. Tangata Whenua continue to observe
customary practices on Maungawhau. Matariki or the Maori New Year
is one such practice observed before dawn in June each year.
The road to the summit of
Maungawhau is named for Puhihuia, a highborn daughter of Te Waiohua. Ponga
of Ngati Kahukoka from Awhitu was visiting Maungawhau and
although he was of lower social status they eloped to the anger of
Puhihuia's disapproving parents. They escaped across the Manukau Harbour to
Awhitu followed by an avenging taua. War between the Iwi was
avoided when Puhihuia faced a series of duels. She defeated her
opponents and the taua returned accepting Puhihuia's choice of a
husband.
Subdivision and sale of land
in the area began in 1841 and over the next decade small mixed farms
were developed. The suburban development of Auckland depended on the
availability of land, affordable transport and the desire of
middle class to move out of the crowded inner city. The population of Auckland
had increased by around 25 per cent from 1874 to 1881. However
more dramatic increases were soon to follow with the population of
Auckland Borough doubling from 1881 to reach 33,161 people in
1886. This population growth put pressure on areas close to the city.
Estate agents touted the
lifestyle benefits of living away from the city and the social prestige a
suburban address enamoured. Suburban life offered the fresh air and open
space that was missing from the small allotments and narrow lanes of
the inner city. Allotments in subdivisions in Mt Eden, Morningside and
Kingsland found buyers amongst settlers and speculators alike.
At the dawn of the twentieth
century the farms, which had graced Mt Eden, Balmoral and
Sandringham, had largely been replaced by housing.
The increase is the
residential population was accompanied by the development of roads, public
transport, churches, schools, early business and industry.
Published March 2008
