Tuff Crater

Tuff Crater
by Celia Walker

Just north of the Auckland Harbour Bridge lies the tuff ring explosion crater of Te Kopua o Matakamokamo, which also goes by several other names, Tuff Crater and Tank Farm. Te Kawerau a Maki called the area Awataha, and had a papakainga called Te Korekore here, which they occupied on and off for many centuries, between invasions by other Iwi. Eventually it was the government and the Catholic Church, who combined over many decades to remove remnants of the residents, by 1923. Since then, Hato Petera College and Awataha Marae have been established a block to the north. A little to the south, Te Onewa Pa has a similar story.

The geological name was applied as an accident, after misinterpretation of an 1864 Hochstetter map, which did have the notation 'Tuff Crater' on it, but he also made this note next to all the other Tuff Craters he identified. The second name, Tank Farm, was earned when the crater was used as a fuel storage depot during World War II, with the tanks partially hidden from enemy surveillance by digging them into the crater walls on the northern side.

These have since been removed, the resulting excavated areas now hosting wetland areas and regenerating plant life. What we have now is a mangrove-filled tidal inlet, with the main part of the crater is visible from the Auckland Motorway, just before the Esmonde Road off-ramp.

The crater is accessible by foot and bicycle using the tracks and boardwalks that circuit the perimeter; these have access points in most of the surrounding streets, a good start point is Heath Reserve where there is some parking. Forest and Bird’s North Shore Branch have been actively restoring the ecology of the area since 2000, with work including extensive restoration planting of native bush, as well as controlling the invasive weeds that had become dominant. Although some remnants of original kohekohe forest are present at the southern edge of the crater, the majority of the regenerating bush is a result of planting efforts.

Birdlife such as kotare/kingfisher, tui and grey warbler are returning to the area as the planting and predator controls take effect, and the secretive wetland dweller the banded rail has occasionally been spotted.

The walk is described as pleasant and of course flat, it can take up to 90 minutes, depending on the entry and exit points.

Image Credits: Celia Walker