Ōtara Hill Explained

Otara Hill (also Te Puke o Tara or Smales Mount) is one of the volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field. Its scoria cone reached 89 m above sea level (around 59 m higher than the surrounding land) before it was quarried away. The hill was the site of a pā named "Te Puke Ō Tara" meaning 'hill belonging to Tara', who was a Ngāi Tai Rangatira (or Māori Chief) of the area.

Like many Auckland volcanoes, Otara Hill has a notable tuff ring. It is located between Green Hill and Hampton Park.^[1] Green Hill and Otara Hill were together referred to as Bessy Bell and Mary Gray after an old Scottish ballad.

References

• City of Volcanoes: A geology of Auckland - Searle, Ernest J.; revised by Mayhill, R.D.; Longman Paul, 1981. First published 1964. .
• Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. .

External links

• Aerial view looking north-east showing north side of Otara Hill in 1949 (Auckland Council Libraries, Kura Heritage Collections Online)
• View of Smales Mountain being quarried, around 1965 (Auckland Council Libraries, Kura Heritage Collections Online)

-36.9471°N 174.8984°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Map of Auckland Volcano Field . 17 April 2021 . 12 December 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20231212060154/https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Map-of-the-Auckland-Volcanic-Field-with-named-volcanoes-volcanic-centres-as-currently_fig1_284032979 . live .