The Albert Park Volcano was one of the volcanoes in the

Auckland volcanic field The Auckland volcanic field is an area of monogenetic volcanoes covered by much of the metropolitan area of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city, located in the North Island. The approximately 53 volcanoes in the field have produced a divers ...

in New Zealand. A small volcano that erupted approximately 145,000 years ago, the volcanic remnants were quarried during the early colonial

history of Auckland The human history of the Auckland () metropolitan area stretches from early Māori people, Māori settlers in the 14th century to the first European New Zealanders, European explorers in the late 18th century, over a short stretch as the Capita ...

between 1840 and 1869. The volcano was dwarfed by the pre-volcanic sandstone ridge of Albert Park directly to the south-east, and only recognised as volcanic by

Ferdinand von Hochstetter Christian Gottlieb Ferdinand Ritter von Hochstetter (30 April 1829 – 18 July 1884) was a Germany, German-Austrians, Austrian geologist. In 1857 he was appointed geologist on the Austrian Novara expedition to New Zealand, collecting natural his ...

when he visited Auckland in 1859.

Geology

Auckland from the SSW Taken in July 1849 - cropped

The volcano erupted an estimated 145,000 years ago. The initial phase began with wet, explosive eruptions that deposited up to 8 metres of a thick ash layer around the Queen Street Valley area. Later eruptions changed to a dry fountaining style, allowing a small scoria mound to form. A lava flow from the western base of the cone flowed down the Queen Street Valley, which dammed the Waihorotiu Stream and formed a swamp where the stream met the

Waitematā Harbour The Waitematā Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. The harbour forms the northern and eastern coasts of the Auckland isthmus and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. It is matched on the southern side of the city ...

, creating an alluvial flat between Victoria Street and Wellesley Street, near the modern location of

Aotea Square Aotea Square () is a large paved public area in the CBD of Auckland, New Zealand. Officially opened in 1979 by Sir Dove-Myer Robinson next to Queen Street, it is used for open-air concerts and gatherings, markets, and political rallies. In No ...

History

The area to the north-west of Albert Park was known as Rangipuke to

Tāmaki Māori Tāmaki Māori are Māori ''iwi'' and ''hapū'' (tribes and sub-tribes) who have a strong connection to Tāmaki Makaurau (the Auckland Region), and whose rohe was traditionally within the region. Among Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau (the M� ...

, and was the location of the

kāinga A kāinga ( southern Māori: ''kaika'' or ''kaik'') is the traditional form of village habitation of pre-European Māori in New Zealand. It was unfortified or only lightly fortified, and over time became less important than the well-fortified ...

. European settlers began to live in the Queen Street Valley in 1840, after the signing of the

Treaty of Waitangi The Treaty of Waitangi (), sometimes referred to as ''Te Tiriti'', is a document of central importance to the history of New Zealand, Constitution of New Zealand, its constitution, and its national mythos. It has played a major role in the tr ...

and Auckland being chosen as the new

capital Capital and its variations may refer to: Common uses * Capital city, a municipality of primary status ** Capital region, a metropolitan region containing the capital ** List of national capitals * Capital letter, an upper-case letter Econom ...

for the colony. Scoria from the volcano began to be used to help build roads in the central city, founded adjacent to the volcano. Most information about the volcano comes from an early description by surveyor

, who visited Auckland in 1859 and recognised the volcanic nature of the upper Albert Park area. By 1869, almost all surface-level scoria from the cone had been quarried away by early settlers. In the 1870s, when major sewer work around the

Albert Barracks The Albert Barracks was a major British military installation that overlooked Auckland, New Zealand, from the mid-1840s to 1870, during the city's early colonial period. The perimeter wall was built between 1846 and the early 1850s, in the area ...

was being undertaken, contractors discovered a ''

Leptospermum scoparium ''Leptospermum'' is a genus of shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family Myrtaceae commonly known as tea trees, although this name is sometimes also used for some species of '' Melaleuca''. Most species are endemic to Australia, with the gre ...

'' (mānuka) tree stump, imbedded in clay and but covered in stratified layers of volcanic ash. When the Albert Park tunnels were being constructed during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, it was noted that scoria was only present at the northern sides of the park and not the southern. In 2006, a planned extension of the

Auckland Art Gallery Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is the principal public gallery in Auckland, New Zealand. It has the most extensive collection of national and international art in New Zealand and frequently hosts travelling international exhibitions. Set be ...

was temporary halted due to objections made by the Auckland Volcanic Cones Society, however a geological report found that the planned extensions were in ash-blanketed areas, and not the scoria cone remnants itself.

References

{{Learning Quarter Albert Park, Auckland Auckland CBD Auckland volcanic field Learning Quarter Mountains of the Auckland Region