Mount Grey Explained

Mount Grey / Maukatere
Photo Alt:Image a mountain from a nearby hill on an overcast day, with a view over the city of Christchurch in the background
Elevation M:933
Etymology:Named for George Grey, and from Ngāi Tahu Māori for floating mountain[1]
Translation:Floating mountain
Authority:New Zealand Geographic Board
Country:New Zealand
Region:Canterbury
Map:New Zealand
Label Position:top
Coordinates:-43.1173°N 172.5476°W
Access:Mt Grey Track, Red Beach Track

Mount Grey (officially Mount Grey / Maukatere) is a 934m (3,064feet) mountain 15km (09miles) west of Amberley in New Zealand.[2] It is named after Sir George Grey who was governor of New Zealand when English surveyors climbed it in 1849. In Te Reo Māori, the mountain is called Maukatere, 'floating mountain', from where the spirits of the dead leave on the long journey to Cape Reinga.[1]

Maukatere is a significant mountain for the Kaiapoi-based Ngāi Tūāhuriri, a hapū (subtribe) of Ngāi Tahu.[3] Maukatere marked the inland boundary of the Crown purchase of the Canterbury and Otago area recorded in "Kemp's Deed" in 1848.[4]

In 1998, the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 changed the official name of the mountain to Mount Grey / Maukatere.[5]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Mount Grey/Maukatere Conservation Area . www.doc.govt.nz . Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai . 14 February 2024 . en-nz.
  2. Web site: Mt Grey/Maungatere walking tracks. Department of Conservation.
  3. Web site: Atlas — Cultural Mapping Project — Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu . www.kahurumanu.co.nz . 17 July 2022.
  4. Web site: Protecting Ngai Tahu History — Cultural Mapping Project — Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu . www.kahurumanu.co.nz . 17 July 2022.
  5. Web site: Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998. pdf. Parliamentary Counsel Office.