Pūkaki Lagoon
| Pūkaki Lagoon | |
|---|---|
 | |
.png)  Pūkaki Lagoon Location within New Zealand | |
| Location | Māngere, New Zealand |
| Type | Volcanic lagoon |
| Freshwater (originally) | |
| Tidal (originally) | |
| Basin countries | New Zealand |
| Max. width | 600 m (2,000 ft) |
Pūkaki Lagoon (Te Pūkaki Tapu a Poutūkeka - The Sacred Spring of Poutūkeka[1]), located in the suburb of Māngere, New Zealand,[2] is one of the volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field. The lagoon, alongside Māngere Lagoon, Waitomokia, Crater Hill, Kohuora and Robertson Hill, is one of the volcanic features collectively referred to as Nga Tapuwae a Mataoho ("The Sacred Footprints of Mataoho"), referring to the deity in Tāmaki Māori myths who was involved in their creation.[3][4] The crater and surrounding lands are co-managed by Auckland Council and Te Ākitai Waiohua as open space for public enjoyment.
Geology
Pūkaki Lagoon is a maar with 600 m wide explosion crater and surrounding tuff ring. After an eruption about 65,000 yrs ago the crater filled with freshwater and became a lake. As sea-levels rose after the end of the last ice age (about 8,000 years ago) Pūkaki Creek connected it to the sea and it became a tidal lagoon. The lagoon has since been drained by human activity and only a small lake remains inside the crater.
History
Māori occupation of the crater and surrounding lands can be traced back to the arrival of Tainui waka when Poutūkeka, son of Hoturoa first landed on the shores of the Manukau Harbour. Poutūkeka later settled in the Manukau area where Pūkaki Marae stands today. The estuary and creek provided the people with resources, and the lagoon was used to shelter waka.[5]
After the New Zealand Wars, Pūkaki Creek was dammed and the lagoon drained to create farmland. Later it was bought by Motor-racing entrepreneur George Henning and used as a speedway. Henning's Speedway hosted races from 1923 to 1934, when speedway racing moved to Onehunga[6] and the lagoon returned to farmland.
In 2007 it was bought by the Manukau City Council for a public reserve, and since 2010 has been co-managed by the local council (now Auckland Council and Te Ākitai Waiohua - the Pūkaki Māori Marae Committee.[7][8]
References
- ↑ "In service to homeless whānau in Tāmaki Makaurau" (PDF). 30 June 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Significant volcanic feature secure for public use | Scoop News". www.scoop.co.nz. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ↑ "The History of Our Marae". Makaurau Marae. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
- ↑ Simmons, D. R. (1979). "George Graham's Maori Place Names of Auckland". Records of the Auckland Institute and Museum. 16: 11–39. ISSN 0067-0464. JSTOR 42906272. Wikidata Q58677091.
- ↑ "Te Akitai". Deborah Crowe's Heritage Hunter. Retrieved 25 March 2026.
- ↑ "Jim Webber, Motor sport – Speedway and drag racing". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Successful Refresh Of Co-management Agreement For Pūkaki Tapu O Poutūkeka". 14 December 2023. Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- ↑ "Te Pūkaki Tapu o Poutūkeka and Associated Lands". Archived from the original on 24 March 2026. Retrieved 24 March 2026.
- City of Volcanoes: A geology of Auckland - Searle, Ernest J.; revised by Mayhill, R.D.; Longman Paul, 1981. First published 1964. ISBN 0-582-71784-1.
- Volcanoes of Auckland: The Essential Guide. Hayward, B.W., Murdoch, G., Maitland, G.; Auckland University Press, 2011.
- Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. ISBN 0-582-71784-1.
External links
- Photo of Henning's Speedway.
- Photographs of Pukaki Lagoon held in Auckland Libraries' heritage collections.
36°58′59″S 174°48′37″E / 36.982998°S 174.810226°E
