What it is
The volcano erupted from three craters about 28,000 years ago; later eruptions from the southern crater filled the others, leaving the bowl-shaped crater about 50 metres deep that Māori call the bowl of Mataaho. The slopes were extensively terraced as a fortified pā, with defensive ditches and kūmara storage pits, and boardwalks opened in 2020 protect these remains on the upper slopes.
Maungawhau is one of the 14 tūpuna maunga, ancestral mountains, returned to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau under a 2014 Treaty settlement and administered by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority. The summit road was closed to most vehicles in 2011, so the top is reached on foot along paths from the surrounding streets and Mount Eden Domain.
Getting there by bus
The closest stops are on the eastern side of the mountain. Bridgman Reserve (stop 8508), about 290 metres from the summit, and Mount Eden Domain (stop 8506) are served by routes 27H, 27T, 27W and 64, and Valley Road International Church (stop 8976) by route 64; allow ten minutes or more for the climb.
On the western side, Stop A Mount Eden Village (stop 8513) and Stop B Mount Eden Village (stop 8510) on Mount Eden Road are served by routes 27H, 27T and 27W, and Sharpe Road (stop 8625) to the south has route 321.
