Mount Maunganui (mountain)

This prominent rhyolite lava dome, known as Mount Maunganui or Mauao, is 232 meters tall and sits at the end of a tombolo in the Tauranga suburb of Mount Maunganui, right by the eastern entrance to the city's harbor. Locals call it The Mount.

Māori consider Mauao to be sacred, and it's really important in their mythology. They actually own the mountain and manage it with the Tauranga City Council. It’s open to the public for walks, jogging, paragliding, and hang gliding, though there have been some fires and storm damage recently that needed replanting and track repairs.

The name 'Maunganui' means 'big mountain' in English, so 'Mount Maunganui' literally translates to 'mountain big mountain.' The alternative name, 'Mauao,' means 'caught by the morning sun.'

Geologically, this area is part of the Minden Rhyolite Subgroup, a collection of at least 17 lava domes. The youngest volcanic deposits here date back about 2.35 million years ago. During the Last Glacial Maximum, when sea levels were much lower, the Tauranga Basin was dry, connecting Mauao to the mainland. Then, as sea levels rose, it became an island before marine beach deposits formed a tombolo about 4,000 years ago, rejoining it to the mainland.

There’s a Māori legend about a nameless hill that desired the affections of Puwhenua, a captivating hill already taken by Otanewainuku. The nameless hill decided to drown himself in the Pacific Ocean and called on the patupaiarehe, or fairy people, to help. They used ropes to pull him, and the land rumbled, gouging out the Waimapu River. They got him near the ocean, but daybreak came too soon. The patupaiarehe, being people of the night, had to retreat, leaving the hill here. They named him Mauao, meaning "caught by the dawn." This mountain eventually gained great prestige and now marks the entrance to Tauranga Harbour.

The name Tauranga itself means 'place of rest' or 'anchorage.' The earliest people known to live here were the Purukupenga and the Ngamarama. Many waka passed through, including the Tainui and Te Arawa canoes. The Takitimu canoe’s captain, Tamatea Arikinui, climbed to this summit to offer prayers and bury the mauri, or life force, of his people. He built a pā on Maungatawa. Later, Ngaiterangi took over a Ngati Ranginui pā on Mauao in an event known as the 'Battle of the Kokowai.' Archaeologists have found evidence of three pā sites on and around Mauao. The final battle here was between Ngaiterangi and Ngapuhi in 1820, with Ngapuhi using muskets. The large pā site wasn't re-occupied after that, and peace was made shortly after.

On December 28, 1950, 23 people drowned when the passenger launch Ranui was driven onto North West Rock at the base of the mountain by an exceptionally high wave. The boat capsized and was destroyed, with only one survivor. The vessel’s engine is still wedged between rocks above the base track.