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Mount Eden: Mountain of the Whau Tree

January 22, 2015 by · Leave a Comment 

By Phin Upham

Mount Eden is situated 4 miles from the Central Business District of Auckland City. Mt. Eden Rd. weaves around the mountain and through the valley, running south along Three Kings. The volcano itself is dormant, with the last eruption occurring some 28,000 years ago. That final eruption drained the Southern crate to fill the Northern one.

Today, the mountain sees year round tourism. It’s the highest point in Auckland that is not manmade, and it provides an incredible viewpoint of the entire city. The destination is serviced by several buses that used to take visitors to the top of the hill, where a manmade parking lot had been fashioned. The heavy traffic eventually degraded the mountain, and tourist bus service was discontinued in 2006.



For now, buses park halfway up the mountain until a “sustainable” transport system can be fashioned that has a lower impact on the environment.

Visitors from all over the world still go on “heritage walks” that give them a tour of the site. There are several trails to choose from, with each taking roughly 40 minutes to hike. The Mt. Eden Village Walk takes tourists through an early development village, while a neighborhood walk shows visitors what life was life for early natives.

Eden also found a use as a broadcast point for the New Zealand Post Office. It carried a VHF antenna that was used to hail taxi cabs and delivery firms. The mountain also has an underground water reservoir, which has been in place since the 1870s.


Phin Upham is an investor from NYC and SF. You may contact Phin on his Phin Upham website or LinkedIn page.

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