Imagine a hill. Now imagine that hill is almost entirely gone. This is the story of \u014ctara Hill. It is also known as Te Puke o Tara or Smales Mount. This volcano in the Auckland volcanic field once stood 89 meters high.
\u014ctara Hill got quarried away. It is a fate shared by many Auckland volcanoes. Before its destruction, \u014ctara Hill was about 59 meters higher than the surrounding land.
The hill was once the site of a p\u0101. It was named “Te Puke \u014c Tara.” This means “hill belonging to Tara”. Tara was a Ng\u0101i Tai Rangatira or M\u0101ori Chief. He was from this area.
\u014ctara Hill had a notable tuff ring like many Auckland volcanoes. \u014ctara Hill is located between Green Hill and Hampton Park. People once called Green Hill and \u014ctara Hill Bessy Bell and Mary Gray. This was after an old Scottish ballad.
\u014ctara is a suburb of South Auckland. It lies near the head of the T\u0101maki River. The area is traditionally part of the rohe of Ng\u0101i Tai ki T\u0101maki. The name \u014ctara refers to \u014ctara Hill / Te Puke \u014d Tara. It was a former Ng\u0101i Tai ki T\u0101maki p\u0101 and volcanic hill. It stood to the north of the suburb.
From 1851 to 1910, the area was part of the Goodfellow family farm. During the 1910s, the area became an agricultural college. It was run by the Dilworth Trust. After the Auckland Southern Motorway construction in the 1950s, \u014ctara developed as a suburb. It was primarily a state housing project by the New Zealand Government.
\u014ctara means “The Place of Tara”. It is a shortened form of \u014ctara Hill / Te Puke \u014d Tara. The hill is named for Tara-mai-nuku. He was a Waiohua ancestor and taniwha of the Manukau Harbour. The hill could also be named for Tara Te Irirangi. He was a 19th-century paramount chief of Ng\u0101i Tai ki T\u0101maki. An earlier name for the area was Ng\u0101 Kopi o Toi. This means “The Karaka Berries of Toi”. It was named for a karaka grove. Tradition says Toi-te-huatahi brought it to Tamaki from the Chatham Islands. He planted it near Greenmount. During European settlement, people associated the name \u014ctara with the area in the 1850s.
\u014ctara is in South Auckland. It is at the south-eastern headlands of the T\u0101maki River. It is primarily to the north-east of the Auckland Southern Motorway. The \u014ctara Creek runs through the suburb. It becomes a tidal estuary of the T\u0101maki River in the north.
There are two features of the Auckland Volcanic Field in the area. Pukewairiki is an estuary of the \u014ctara Creek. It is a volcanic maar. It erupted an estimated 130000 years ago. \u014ctara Hill / Te Puke o Tara is a volcano. It is north in East T\u0101maki. It erupted an estimated 56500 years ago. It was quarried in the mid-20th century. Lava flows from the hill flowed as far south as the \u014ctara Town Centre.
Ng\u0101i Tai created extensive cultivations along the eastern shores of the T\u0101maki River. The area around Te Wai\u014dtara and \u014ctara Hill / Te Puke \u014d Tara was home to extensive stonefield gardens. It also had a fortified p\u0101. People occupied it until the early 19th century.
\u014ctara Hill may be gone. Its story and legacy live on. It is a reminder of the rich history. It also shows the geological forces that shaped this land.