| Mutukāroa / Hamlins Hill Regional Park | |
| Location: | Maungakiekie-Tāmaki, Auckland, New Zealand |
| Coords: | -36.92°N 174.832°W |
| Area: | [1] |
| Operator: | Auckland Council |
Mutukāroa / Hamlins Hill Regional Park is a regional park situated in the Auckland suburb of Penrose in New Zealand's North Island. It is situated in Maungakiekie-Tāmaki, north-east of the Manukau Harbour and west of the Tāmaki River. The park is owned and operated by Auckland Council.[2]
Mutukāroa / Hamlins Hill is the largest non-volcanic hill on the Auckland isthmus. It is formed from Waitemata sandstone, surrounded by much younger volcanic deposits.[3] The hill is 65 metres high.[4]
The regional park is predominantly made up of two European farms, Hamlin's Farm and Penrose Farm.[1]
Mutukaroa is the site of one of the largest kāinga (undefended settlements) on the Tāmaki isthmus, surrounded by vast kūmara gardens. During the Waiohua period, the hill was a residence for Ngāi Tai, who continued to occupy the hill after Ngāti Whātua Ōrākei settled the isthmus in the 18th century.[5]
The name Hamlin(s) Hill comes from James Hamlin, a reverend of the Church Missionary Society, who received the land as part of a Crown land grant in the 1840s.[3] For many years, the farmland on the hill was used as holding paddocks for the Westfield Freezing Works.[3] The hill was planned for demolition in the 1960s, as a part of a plan to reclaim 30 hectares of land from the Manukau Harbour. The hill was saved after a public outcry and court action.[3]
Since the early 2000s, native trees have been planted on the hill.[1] The hill was officially gazetted as Mutukaroa / Hamlin Hill in 2014.[4]