Landmarker walk Mangere Mountain - te Maunga o Mangere

Mangere Mountain and its surrounds have supported large and prosperous communities for the past 800 years. The first to settle this area were Ngaa Iwi, a sub tribe of Wai o hua. They chose a near perfect location.

Extensive gardens were created on the surrounding fertile volcanic soils and the Manukau Harbour and freshwater springs, streams and forests enabled hunting, fishing and gathering.

The steep sides of the volcano and the addition of ditch and palisade defences made attack difficult. The view from the summit was not only spectacular but also strategic - enemies could be seen coming from any direction, a critical feature for a pa or defended village.

Te Maunga o Mangere me oona tahataha, ngaa waahi i nohonuitia e te tangata whenua te tau waru rau (Nga Iwi i muri ake Te Wai o Hua) me ngaa momo taangata noho i roto o Mangere mai i murimai.

He maha ngaa maara hua kai whenua i mahia ki konei na te tino pai o te whenua mo tenei mahi te whaka tupu kai me te kaha rere o te wai Maori i ngaa puna me ngaa awa. Mai i ngaa wai o Te Manukau ko te tini o te kai moana me te ika.

I runga o te maunga ko te waahi whakatu Pa. He waahi teitei hei tirohanga mo te titiro me te kite whaanui i te rohe o Taamaki me te pai hoki o te kite he aha, ko wai kei raro iho o te maunga, teena pea he hoariri.

Almost everywhere you look on Mangere Mountain there are humps, hollows and terraces - tell-tale signs of those who have lived here before.

Six small sculptures cast in iron or carved from stone have been placed around the mountain. These give you some clues about how the land was used.

Ahakua tirotiro koe ki whea i runga o te maunga ka kite koe i ngaa haupuu, tapoko me ngaa tuuaapapa, parehua he korero mo raatou i noho ki reira i mua.

E ono ngaa whakaairo rino, kohatu kua whakatakotoa ki runga o te maunga, he whakaatu enei ki a koe, i mahia enei mahi i tewhwhea waahi.

The Nursery

This landmarker mimics the cluster of Maori garden mounds just above it. Early on, Maori discovered that raising plants off the ground and using stones as soil warmers extended the growing season by up to six weeks.

Te waahi Paarekereke

Te whakairo haupuu kohatu, oneone he whakaatu atu i ngaa aahuatanga o aua waa o mua, ka kitea ma te haupuupu kohatu e whaka mahana ngaa haupuu oneone o raro e pai ai te whakatoo tinaku huakai whenua ahakua pewhea te maatao.

Pits of Plenty

The three piles of vegetables in this area represent the kumara, taro, and potato (introduced later) which were kept in these deep cellar-like pits. The pits had roofs which helped keep the food dry and at stable temperatures.

Ngaa Rua

Ngaa whakairo haupuu huakai whenua e toru, kumara, taro me ngaa riwai i hauhaketia i whakatakotoa ki roto i enei rua, uhia ki te rarauwhe kia kore ai e pirau, tae noa ki te wa mo te whakatoo.

Terrace Housing

This sculpture depicts the key features of a family terrace. There is a whare - for sleeping, a cooking area with stacked hangi stones, a rack for drying fish, a covered storage pit for the kumara harvest, and a pile of palisade posts ready for installation.

Tuuaapapa, Parehua Whare

Enei whakairo he whakaatu atu i ngaa aahuatanga noho tuuapapa, parehua a te whaanau, he whare moe, he waahi mo te tunu kai me ngaa haupuu kohatu haangi he waahi mo te whakairi whakamaroke ika, he rua kumara me ngaa pou maioro mo te whakatuu.

Security

Maori carved this volcano to make a pa, a defended place to keep people safe. Moat-like trenches and fence-like palisades were made to deter attackers. A profile of these defences has been incised into a boulder near an old defensive ditch.

Taituaraa Whakauu

I mahia e ngaa tuupuna he Pa i runga i enei maunga puia kia pai, kia uu, kia tautuaraa te noho o te iwi. Ka keria ngaa awa awa, ka mahia ngaa taiapa maioro hei whakatuupato hoariri tauaa. Kua mahia enei mahi ki runga i tetahi kohatu nui kei te taha otetahi rua awa awa.

To be Relished

The diet of those who lived here hundreds of years ago was diverse. The landmarker depicts over 20 different foods sourced from the sea, rivers and forests. Above the landmarker is a midden, the remains of meals eaten many moons ago.

Ngaa Momo Kai

He whakaaturanga enei mo te nui, te maha o ngaa momo kai i kohiamai i te moana, ngaa awa me te ngahere. I runga ake o te tohu whakaatu, he haupuupu toenga kai o aua ra o mua noatu.

Family Fences

So that each family group had access to resources from mountain top to sea, land was divided into pie-shaped wedges marked by stone walls. The landmarker shows how this system may have looked from a bird's-eye view.

Ngaa Taiapa Hei Whakatuu

Mo ia whaanau me o raatou waahanga noho mai i uta ki te moana i whakatuua e raatou he taiapa kohatu he whakaatu, no raatou te mana i waenganui o enei taiapa kohatu mai o raatou waahi noho tae atu ki te moana.

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