Te Kōpuke Tītīkōpuke Mount St John

If you want to feel a part of an ancient past, come, and visit Te Kōpuke / Tītīkōpuke / Mt St John. This is a smaller may be a smaller and lesser known Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountain) but filled with personality. It is at least 28,500 years old, you’ll feel the deep sense of history as one of Auckland’s oldest volcanoes. 

Te Kōpuke, an abbreviation of Tītīkōpuke means “the prominent mound” as it was the site of a Māori pā (fortified village settlement) that once presided over a renowned gardening area.

A short walk to the tihi (summit) reveals how this Tūpuna Maunga was a place of great cultural and archaeological significance to Māori. You will find evidence of Māori earthworks such as kūmara pits and terracing for housing. Enjoy them from the paths to preserve these sacred sites. 

Near the tihi is a well-preserved basalt scoria cone with a crater lined with impermeable volcanic ash, which erupted from some of the surrounding volcanoes, namely Te Tātua-a-Riukiuta in Three Kings. The crater is considered wāhi tapu (sacred), so remember to walk around it (not through it).  

Relax and unwind on this cheeky Tūpuna Maunga in the middle of suburban streets in Epsom. Enjoy both the views of nearby volcanoes such as Ōhinerau / Mt Hobson and Maungawhau / Mt Eden. The Tūpuna Maunga Authority have been hosting planting days and the efforts to restore the native wildlife and vegetation regeneration can be seen on this Maunga.