Hiking up Mangere Mountain was tiring for the Year 8 classes. We were privileged to see the mountain and one of its craters. Leilani, one of our guides, told us about some of the facts of the mountain and the different types of volcanic rocks that are found there. She also told us a myth. After lunch, we made mini pois and flax bracelets.
Some facts Leilani shared with us was that Mangere Mountain’s highest point is 106 meters above sea level. Another one is that there used to be 3 craters, but one crater was dug out to make roads in Auckland so now there are only two craters.
There are five different types of scoria rocks but only four types of rocks are found on the mountain. Scoria rock is a result of volcanic eruptions and comes in assorted shapes and sizes.
Ages ago Maori iwi lived in a faraway destination and there is a legend that when they were planning to migrate to a bigger home at Mangere Mountain, they decided to leave the grandpa behind because they thought he wouldn’t like the idea and he was too old to travel the distance. In the morning when he woke up, he saw the others leaving in the canoe. He felt sad and started to pray to the God of the sea asking for a canoe so he could follow them. After three days, a big tidal wave came and in that was a stingray. He hopped on the stingray’s back and arrived at Mangere Mountain in less than a day, even before the others could arrive. When the others arrived, they saw his foot prints in the sand and felt bad for leaving him behind and started calling out to them. He forgave them and for generations to come they lived on Mangere Mountain.
The Year 8 students would like to thank our tour guides for taking us up the mountain to see those spectacular sights. And although it was exhausting It was very educational and webcame home with a treasure load of information.
Cyprus Causer
