North Head (New Zealand)

North Head
Maungauika / North Head
North Head with the flanks of Rangitoto Island and the Hauraki Gulf beyond
Highest point
Elevation50 m (160 ft)
Coordinates36°49′40″S 174°48′43″E / 36.827751°S 174.81205°E / -36.827751; 174.81205
Naming
Native nameMaungauika (Māori)
Geography
LocationNorth Island, New Zealand
Geology
Volcanic fieldAuckland volcanic field

North Head (Māori: Maungauika; officially Maungauika and sometimes referred to as Maungauika / North Head) is a volcano and Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountain) forming a headland at the east end of the Waitematā Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, in the suburb of Devonport. Known for its sweeping views over the harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, since 1885 the head was mainly used by the military as a coastal defence installation, which left a network of accessible old bunkers and tunnels as its legacy, forming part of the attraction. The site was protected as part of Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park in 1972 and listed as a Category I historic place in 2001. As part of a 2014 Treaty of Waitangi claim settlement the volcanic cone was officially named Maungauika and the reserve unofficially renamed Maungauika / North Head Historic Reserve.