Ōtara Hill

Otara Hill (also Te Puke o Tara or Smales Mount) is one of the volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field. Its scoria cone reached 89 m above sea level (around 59 m higher than the surrounding land) before it was quarried away. The hill was the site of a pā named "Te Puke Ō Tara" meaning 'hill belonging to Tara', who was a Ngāi Tai Rangatira (or Māori Chief) of the area.

Like many Auckland volcanoes, Otara Hill has a notable tuff ring. It is located between Green Hill and Hampton Park.^[1] Green Hill and Otara Hill were together referred to as Bessy Bell and Mary Gray after an old Scottish ballad.

• 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: A Field Guide. Hayward, B.W.; Auckland University Press, 2019, 335 pp. ISBN 0-582-71784-1.

• Aerial view looking north-east showing north side of Otara Hill in 1949 (Auckland Council Libraries, Kura Heritage Collections Online)
• View of Smales Mountain being quarried, around 1965 (Auckland Council Libraries, Kura Heritage Collections Online)

36°56′50″S 174°53′54″E / 36.947105°S 174.898363°E / -36.947105; 174.898363

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This page was last edited on 21 July 2024, at 07:31