New Mt Eden viewing platform offers ‘instagrammable’ views while protecting historic Māori site
A new boardwalk around the crater of Mt Eden wants to be Auckland’s most “instagrammable” spot, while protecting an 800 year-old Māori settlement.
The deck is perched on the northern knoll of the mountain, and offers panoramic views of the city and Waitematā Harbour.
Tūpuna Maunga Authority chair Paul Majurey said the boardwalk provides protection for the last remnants of a historic Māori site built around 1200AD.
“Maungawhau is a waahi tapu – a sacred place of immense historical, cultural and spiritual significance to the Mana Whenua iwi/hapū of Tāmaki Makaurau,” he said.
“It is also geologically important and is highly valued by the many communities that have a connection with this special place. Maungawhau is a taonga in every sense of the word.”
The boardwalk carefully winds through the tūāpapa (terraces) where the houses and gardens of the pā once sat, and the rua (pits) which were roofed for storing crops.
Visitors can now appreciate these features without causing damage.
Majurey said extensive planning for the project included a review of historic locations and World Heritage sites around the world, such as the boardwalks at Yosemite National Park in the United States and the trails around Stonehenge in England.
“With around 1.2 million people visiting Maungawhau every year, a better solution was needed to both protect the pā features and enhance the experience that visitors expect from one of the country’s most iconic Maunga,” he said.
Construction began in November 2019 and experienced some delays due to Covid-19 lockdowns.
Visitors are encouraged to place health and safety first, maintain a 2-metre physical distance from others on the Maunga and take advantage of the manual check-in feature on the NZ COVID Tracer app.
Best way to use leftovers?
I'm sure you've got some excess ham at home or cold roast potatoes.
What are some of your favourite ways to use leftover food from Christmas day? Share below.
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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61.9% Summer
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36.6% Winter
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1.5% Other - I'll share below
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