Last updated November 2026
Rising above the harbour edge in Devonport, Maungauika / North Head is a volcanic cone that has been a Māori settlement, a pilot station and, for more than a century, a coastal fortress.
The name means “Mountain of Uika”, and the Tūpuna Maunga Authority says it is one of the oldest cones in the Auckland volcanic field, formed more than 50,000 years ago.
Gun batteries and tunnels from the 1885 Russian scare and later wars are scattered over its slopes, and a path from Cheltenham Road climbs past them to the summit, with views over the harbour to the city and out to Rangitoto and the Hauraki Gulf.
The Authority has governed the maunga since January 2019. The pedestrian gate at 18 Takarunga Road is open from 6am to 10pm.
Practical Information
- Location
- 18 Takarunga Road, Devonport
- Managed by
- Tūpuna Maunga Authority, with routine management by Auckland Council under the Authority’s direction
- Opening hours
- Pedestrian gate 6am to 10pm; vehicle gate 6am to 8pm
- Walking times
- About 15 minutes’ walk from the Devonport Ferry Terminal to the suggested start on Cheltenham Road
- Dogs
- Under control and on a leash; pick up after your dog
- Status
- Tūpuna Maunga Authority: Maungauika page
About Maungauika / North Head
The maunga began with explosive eruptions that piled ash and scoria into a tuff cone, which was later buried by a scoria cone.
Geologists think it was an island about 7,000 years ago, until sand and shell built up a link to the North Shore between Cheltenham Beach and Torpedo Bay. The Authority notes that it last erupted more than 5,000 years ago.
The name Maungauika means “the Mountain of Uika”. Māori ancestors lived on the mountain about 800 years ago. The Authority explains that Devonport was one of the earliest settled parts of Tāmaki Makaurau, thanks to its volcanic soils, rich marine environment and prominent maunga, and that the main pā was on nearby Takarunga / Mount Victoria.
Crops were grown on the lower slopes of Maungauika, and European visitors in the 1850s described a settlement at its base with organised gardens and fish-processing areas. Traces of the gardens show in early photographs but have since been lost. Unlike other maunga, it has no historic defensive trenches or earthworks.
Maungauika is one of the fourteen Tūpuna Maunga returned to the 13 iwi and hapū of Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau under the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective Redress Act 2014.
Administration moved from the Department of Conservation to the Tūpuna Maunga Authority in January 2019, completing that transfer. The Authority has equal membership from mana whenua and Auckland Council, and the council carries out routine management under its direction.
Forts, Guns and Tunnels
Soon after Auckland was founded in 1840, North Head hosted the city’s first pilot station. It became a public reserve in 1878, on the understanding that it could be taken for defence, and DOC’s history of the reserve notes that this happened less than seven years later.
Fears of a Russian invasion of the Pacific led to a muzzle-loader fort in 1885, with three batteries: North Battery covering the Rangitoto Channel, South Battery covering the inner harbour and the Summit or Cautley Battery. The name Fort Cautley has since lapsed.
The first forts were too hastily built, and up to 40 prisoners, held in a summit prison converted from an army barracks, rebuilt them over about 25 years, digging many of the tunnels between 1888 and 1914 that link the batteries, searchlights, engine rooms and magazines. DOC names the 1885 prison and a small stone kitchen block as the two oldest buildings on North Head.
By 1900 the main armament was three 8-inch disappearing guns, made in 1886, whose barrels weighed over 13 tons and dropped into pits on recoil for reloading under cover. DOC’s history says one survives at South Battery.
Two 6-inch guns arrived in 1905 and served through the First World War, and in the Second World War North Head became the administrative centre for Auckland’s coast defences, with an anti-submarine boom across the harbour covered by sea-level guns, and examination batteries were installed.
The main guns stayed in service until 1958, when the New Zealand Army abolished coast artillery, and the defence forces had left completely by the 1990s. Heritage New Zealand lists North Head / Maungauika as a Category 1 historic place (List 7005).
Stories of secret tunnels holding ammunition, or even two Boeing aeroplanes, have circulated for years. DOC says archival and archaeological research has shown them to be untrue.
Visiting the Maunga
Auckland Council’s AKL Paths route starts on Cheltenham Road, about 15 minutes’ walk from the Devonport Ferry Terminal along the Devonport Waterfront Path. It follows residential streets, then the former road to the base of the maunga, and climbs past the disappearing gun batteries and tunnels; the council suggests bringing a torch for the tunnels.
The council says the path is manageable with a pram or buggy. To stay on the sealed path, come back the way you went up; a more direct way down uses stairs. Views open first across the Waitematā Harbour to the city centre, then over Rangitoto and Tīkapa Moana / the Hauraki Gulf from higher up.
The Torpedo Bay Navy Museum sits at the base of the maunga. Dogs are welcome on a leash, and owners must pick up after them and use the rubbish bins.
Where to Learn More
Tūpuna Maunga Authority: Maungauika: the maunga’s history, geology, gate hours, dog rules and news.
Auckland Council AKL Paths: Maungauika / North Head path: the walking route from the ferry and Cheltenham Road to the summit.
Department of Conservation: History of North Head reserve: the batteries, guns and tunnels from 1885 to the 1950s, written while DOC managed the reserve. Reserve information: Crown Copyright: Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai 2026. Licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Maungauika / North Head?
In Devonport on Auckland’s North Shore, between Cheltenham Beach and Torpedo Bay. The Tūpuna Maunga Authority gives the address as 18 Takarunga Road.
What are the opening hours?
The pedestrian gate is open from 6am to 10pm and the vehicle gate from 6am to 8pm.
Who looks after Maungauika?
The Tūpuna Maunga Authority, which took over administration from the Department of Conservation in January 2019. Auckland Council carries out routine management under the Authority’s direction.
Can I walk there from the Devonport ferry?
Yes. The council’s suggested start on Cheltenham Road is about 15 minutes’ walk from the ferry terminal along the Devonport Waterfront Path.
Can I go into the tunnels?
The council’s path notes describe tunnels along the route and suggest bringing a torch for them.
How old is the volcano?
The Authority says it formed more than 50,000 years ago, making it one of the oldest cones in the Auckland volcanic field.
Can I bring my dog?
Yes, under control and on a leash. Pick up after your dog and put the waste in a rubbish bin.
Why were forts built here?
Fears of a Russian invasion of the Pacific led to a fort being built in 1885, and the defences were extended through both world wars.
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