Lion Rock (New Zealand)
Te Piha (Māori) | |
|---|---|
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| Geography | |
| Location | Auckland, New Zealand |
| Coordinates | 36°57′13″S 174°27′58″E / 36.95368°S 174.46602°E |
| Adjacent to | Tasman Sea |
| Highest elevation | 52 m (171 ft) |
| Administration | |
New Zealand | |
Lion Rock is a rocky headland located on Piha Beach in the Waitākere Ranges area of the Auckland Region, New Zealand.
Geography
[edit]The rock is located to the south of Piha beach, close to the major settlement at Piha. The Piha Stream flows into the Tasman Sea directly south of the rock.[1]
Geology
[edit]
The island is a volcanic plug of the Miocene era Waitākere Volcano, composed of stratified rudite and intrusive andesite.[2] The rock is what remains of one of the volcano's funnel-shaped vents on the eastern side of the mountain, which was uplifted from the sea 17 million years ago.[3] As the volcano aged and eroded, the Lion Rock vent filled with collapsed lava, scoria and volcanic bombs, until it formed into its modern-day shape.[4]
History
[edit]The traditional name for the rock is Te Piha, and is a name that was applied to the wider area.[5] The name Te Piha came from the pattern made when waves hit against the rock.[6] Lion Rock is in the rohe of Te Kawerau ā Maki, and was the location of island pā known as Whakaari,[7] which literally means "exposed to view" or "display".[8] The pā was captured by a Ngāti Whātua war party led by Tainui warrior Kāwharu around the year 1700.[7]
Archaeological surveys have shown the remains of platforms, midden and terraces on Lion Rock, as well as fragments of traditional textiles, dating back to a time before European contact.[9] The earthworks of Whakaari pā are not well preserved due to erosion.[10]
References
[edit]- ^ "Piha Stream". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ Hayward, B. W. (1977). "Miocene volcanic centres of the Waitakere Ranges, North Auckland, New Zealand". Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand. 7 (2): 123–141. doi:10.1080/03036758.1977.10427155.
- ^ Hayward, Bruce (2009). "Land, Sea and Sky". In Macdonald, Finlay; Kerr, Ruth (eds.). West: The History of Waitakere. Random House. p. 10. ISBN 9781869790080.
- ^ Hayward, Bruce W. (2017). Out of the Ocean, Into the Fire. Geoscience Society of New Zealand. pp. 116–117. ISBN 978-0-473-39596-4.
- ^ Te Kawerau ā Maki; The Trustees of Te Kawerau Iwi Settlement Trust; The Crown (22 February 2014). "Te Kawerau ā Maki Deed of Settlement Schedule" (PDF). Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ Cameron, Ewen; Hayward, Bruce; Murdoch, Graeme (2008). A Field Guide to Auckland: Exploring the Region's Natural and Historical Heritage (Revised ed.). Random House New Zealand. p. 174. ISBN 978-1-86962-1513.
- ^ a b Diamond, John T.; Hayward, Bruce W. (1979). The Māori history and legends of the Waitākere Ranges. The Lodestar Press. p. 4. ISBN 9781877431210.
- ^ "Lion Rock". New Zealand Gazetteer. Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
- ^ McKendry, Lisa (2017). "Māori Kākahu (Cloak) Fragments from Piha: Whakaari Pā". Records of the Auckland Museum. 52: 59–70. doi:10.32912/RAM.2018.52.4. ISSN 1174-9202. JSTOR 90016662. Wikidata Q104815051.
- ^ Diamond, John T.; Hayward, Bruce W. (1990). "Prehistoric Sites in West Auckland". In Northcote-Bade, James (ed.). West Auckland Remembers, Volume 1. West Auckland Historical Society. pp. 33–34, 36. ISBN 0-473-00983-8.