Walk #91, 30th August 2022
Getting in to the site took some doing because the protestors have closed the public road, but we found some people gardening and they let us come in. There is disputed land, Ihumateao, next door to the park, I’ll leave their info about it at the bottom of the page and you can read all about it.
I got the sense walking over the land that the volcanic gardens are ancient and were in use long before the Tainui canoe arrived.
It was very peaceful, probably because we had the whole place to ourselves.
If you can get in, just south of the entrance you’ll find a public avocado orchard where you can pick avocados when in season (November to March). Refer to signage for picking limits.
The park is the site of Auckland’s smallest volcano.
Puketaapapa Cone: This is the smallest of the 60-odd extinct volcanic cones of the Auckland area, being less than 10 metres above its lava base and having a saucer-shaped crater only 12 metres wide.
I hope people can get access to the park but but there’s no political will in Wellington to resolve the protest. The issue is a hot potato the people in government don’t have the wisdom, negotiating skills or ability to resolve.
Walk: Auckland 38
The walk should be five stars given its history, botany and geology. It’s a shame the walk is so difficult to access.
Ihumatao
Since posting that about Ihumatao in 2019, I did more reading about the iwi in charge of this, the Te Kawerau Iwi. The land was confiscated in the 1860’s but there have been Treaty settlements. The protestors can’t have it both ways and need to listen to the Iwi who have successfully negotiated for land for affordable housing in return for that housing development.
Under the deal, Fletcher Building has committed to returning 8ha of land at the site to the Kiingitanga, and Te Warena Taua said houses would also be set aside for mana whenua.
Here’s what the Te Kawerau Iwi had to say:
“We’ll start off with 40 homes coming back to our people at shared-equity ownership. It’s good for us because it will allow for people and their families who come from our village to come back to the village and bring their children and mokopuna up.”
Ihumātao protest: Kaumātua and rangatahi split over development
The story behind the fight to save Ihumātao
This is what the signs say at the blocked off entrance:
#1 Ihumatao 1834
Reverand William Fairburn claimed 80,000 acres of land from Otahuhu to Paparkura … the entire area of what’s now Sth Auckland.
#2 Ihumatao 1853
Despite Rev William Fairburn claiming ownership of all Sth Auckland including Ihumateao, Te Ahiwaru continued to farm the area. They were very successfully cash cropping to supply the Auckland Market. The Methodist Missionaries assisted with new farming techniques. Some of the garden walls (built by Maori gardeners) surrounding Moerangi (Otuataua) shown on this map are still present on the surviving rural land and specifically the land designated for the Fletcher Construction Housing development.
#3 Ihumatao 1854
March 18th The Colonial Government returns about 900 acres to Ngati Mahuta (the tribe of the Maori king) at Ihumateao.
#4 Ihumatao 1867
The entire area was consficated in 1863. By 1867 the surveyed blocks have been granted or sold to new settlers. See Blocks No.175 and 176 in the name of ‘Gavin Wallace.’ This 80 acre block is now Special Housing Area 62 and is known as ‘The Wallace Block.’ The stolen land was ‘granted’ to the grandfather of the present owner (Dec 2016) and has stayed in Wallace ownership since 1867. On December 13th 2016 this block of stolen land was purchased by Fletcher Residential Ltd for $19,000,000.
#5 Ihumatao 2014 to the present
Current situation after the Environment Court decision in 2012 to move the Metropolitan Urban limit to include all remaining rural land not included in the reserve.
Links
The grass walking track takes you around the Puketāpapa cone (also known as Pukeiti), a small volcano which erupted around 20,000 years ago. Check out scoria rock and lava bombs from the eruption.
Ōtuataua Puketāpapa Cone Path
Ihumātao: Heritage NZ proposes bigger Ōtuataua Stonefields area, boosting it to Category 1
Ōtuataua Stonefields walk – Mangere
Otuataua Stonefields, NZ History
Two centuries ago, Māori were still cultivating 8000 ha of volcanic stonefields around Tāmaki-makau-rau, the Auckland isthmus. Now just 160 ha of the stonefields remain. They largely fell into disuse after the early 19th-century inter-tribal Musket Wars and were swallowed up by urban sprawl.
Conservationists had to fight hard even to save Ōtuataua’s 100 ha at Māngere, which was bought by the Manukau City Council with help from DOC, the Lotteries Commision and the Auckland Regional Council.
On 10 February 2001, one of New Zealand’s oldest sites became its newest reserve, the Otuataua Stonefields Historic Reserve. Here you can see Polynesian house sites, storage pits, cooking shelters, terraces, mound gardens, garden plots and garden walls as well as some 19th-century European dry-stone farm walls.
Dave Veart – the Otuataua stonefields
NZ Geographic – Saving Mangere’s agricultural history
Deep History of Ihumātao: The Methodist Connection
Settling Ihumātao, by David Williams | Jul 12, 2020
“What is pragmatic and what might be principled does change from one era to another.”
The Waikato war, historic reason for the eviction of Ihumatao in 1863
Ihumātao was the place where the first Māori King, Chief Te Wherowhero (circa 1770-1860), was elected as King Pōtatau in June 1857. The Maori king was of the Tainui hapu (sub-tribe) Ngati Mahuta, His son Tawhiao was the second Maori king. He lived there until the Waikato war broke out in 1863.
In 1863 Governor George Grey issued an ultimatum to the ‘Native Race’ living in the Manukau District and Waikato Frontier to either submit to the imposed authority of Queen Victoria and hand over weaponry or vacate their lands.
Auckland
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