Click a picture to see a larger view.
Auckland was built on top of about 40 volcanoes, several of which are parkland and may be climbed. Before the Europeans' arrival as late as 1770, the Maori built fortifications (pa) on top of most. They cut terraces and protected each terrace with high fences. Vague shapes of terraces can still be seen on a few volcano sides. The Maori tribes were in constant warfare with each other but, lacking serious weapons, casualties were few. This changed with the Europeans' arrival who would supply them with firearms. The fighting had to stop and the fighting spirit had to find other outlets like rugby.
The Europeans built their own
fortifications on the volcanoes, toward the end of the 19th century. They thought they
might have to defend themselves from the Russians who however never
came. Some structures left from these forts also survive.
Not every volcano was extinguished by the time the Europeans appeared. The volcano Tarawera erupted in 1886 and totally changed its surroundings. Earlier, the area had a famous bath. There were warm springs which formed pink terraces in the hillside, and visitors to the area used to soak in these natural tubs. After the eruption, gone were the terraces, the bath houses, a Maori village and many other features of the scenery. When we visited, the volcano was quiet yet the huge crater seemed threatening.
