Launched in 2023, the Auckland Tourist Caches Series, or ATC, is a series of caches in and around Tamaki Makaurau, at many of the tourist spots, as well as some not-so-well-known spots that are more ‘local knowledge.’ The ATC caches are accessible 24/7 and won't require problem-solving or hunting. The hint tells you exactly where it is, so you can enjoy the location and spend less time hunting. I would love to know where you are from, so please let me know in your log! Find them all! https://coord.info/BMD3CBN
While in Auckland, the land of the lava, you must play our favorite game... Volcano or Nocano! Is Maungakiekie a volcano or nocano????? I'll give you a hint... Maunga means mountain in Maori! Drumroll, please............................ VOLCANO! Are we surprised!?! While standing on the summit, the crater is the large 'hole' on the western side.
In pre-European times, Maungakiekie (One Tree Hill) was the largest pā in the Tāmaki Makaurau region. The Māori name Maungakiekie means "mountain of the kiekie vine". The terraces of the pā were constructed by Ngāti Awa chief Tītahi in the 17th century and were traditionally known as Ngā Whakairo a Tītahi (the carvings of Tītahi). The tihi (summit) of the maunga was where the umbilical cord of Ngāti Awa rangatira Korokino was buried and a tōtara tree sprig was planted on top, giving rise to the name Te Tōtara-i-āhua ("The Tōtara That Stands Alone"), another common name for the mountain used by Tāmaki Māori. Maungakiekie is associated with the Waiohua confederation of tribes, who were active in the 17th and 18th centuries. The time of the third paramount chief of Waiohua, Kiwi Tāmaki, is associated with the time of the greatest unity and strength of the Waiohua confederation, when the Tāmaki Makaurau region was one of the most populated areas of Aotearoa. The cone and its surroundings are estimated to have been home to a population of up to 5,000. Near the summit of Maungakiekie was a gigantic pahū pounamu (greenstone gong) known as Whakarewa-tāhuna ("Lifted from the Banks of the Sea"), which Kiwi Tāmaki used to call for the warriors of the Tāmaki isthmus to assemble. During the later Waiohua period, the southern slopes of Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill south to Onehunga were known as Nga Māra a Tahuri ("The Plantations of Tahuri"), which were extensive kūmara (sweet potato) plantations managed by Tahuri, an agriculturalist and wife of Waiohua chief Te Ika-maupoho. During the Waiohua confederation of the 17th and 18th centuries, the summit of the maunga was known for its single tōtara tree. In 1844, Ngāti Whātua chiefs sold a block of land which included Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill to a merchant, Thomas Henry. Most of this property was removed from Henry's ownership in 1847, with the 115 acres of the hill and surrounding land becoming a Crown reserve, now known as the One Tree Hill Domain. In 1853, Auckland businessmen John Logan Campbell and William Brown purchased the Henry's remaining land. Henry had referred to his property as Mt Prospect, however after the purchase Campbell renamed the farm the One Tree Hill Estate. Over the next 20 years, the farm was developed for cattle and sheep farming, and included potato cultivations. In 1880, after the death of his daughter Ida, Campbell decided to gift the One Tree Hill Estate to the public, leasing the land to Chinese market gardener Fong Ming Quong in the mean-time. In 1901, Campbell formally handed over the land to the public during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall in 1901 (who later became King George V and Queen Mary of Teck). When Auckland was founded as a colonial town a tree stood near the tihi which gave the maunga its English name. Two accounts identify it as a tōtara. This tree was cut down by a Pākehā (european, white) settler in 1852, in an act of vandalism. An exotic Monterey pine was planted in 1875 by John Logan Campbell to replace the tōtara. ] Campbell repeatedly tried to grow native trees on the tihi, but the trees failed to survive – with only two pines, originally part of a shelter belt for the native trees, surviving for long. However, in 1960, one of the two was felled in another attack. The remaining tree was later attacked twice with chainsaws by Māori activists to draw attention to injustices they claimed the New Zealand government had inflicted upon Māori. The first attack happened on 28 October 1994, the anniversary of the 1835 Declaration of Independence. A second attack in October 2000 left the tree unable to recover, and it was removed the following year by Auckland Council due to the risk of it falling. A dawn ceremony conducted by Tūpuna Maunga Authority took place upon Maungakiekie on 11 June 2016 planting nine young tōtara and pōhutukawa grown from parent trees on the maunga. The strongest single tree will eventually remain and kiekie will be added.