Mount Victoria, Wellington
| Mount Victoria | |
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Mount Victoria roofs, Armour Avenue just left of centre. Te Aro in the background
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 Mount Victoria
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| Basic information | |
| Local authority | Wellington City |
| Coordinates | 41°17′46″S 174°47′40″E / 41.2961553°S 174.7944786°ECoordinates: 41°17′46″S 174°47′40″E / 41.2961553°S 174.7944786°E |
| Population | 5,400(2013) |
| Surrounds | |
| North | Oriental Bay's Oriental Parade |
| Northeast | Oriental Bay and Roseneath |
| East | Hataitai |
| South | Newtown |
| Southwest | Mount Cook |
| West | Te Aro |
Mount Victoria is a prominent hill 196 metres (643 ft) high immediately to the east of central Wellington, New Zealand. About 4 kilometres due south is a spur named Mount Albert and the two are linked by a ridge. Mount Victoria's residential area is on its north-western slopes.
Mount Victoria's original Māori name is Tangi Te Keo, though Matairangi is also used. The first name derives from a legend in which two taniwha tried to escape from Wellington Harbour which was then an enclosed lake. One taniwha became stranded and died, and its spirit turned into a bird named Te Keo, which flew to the top of the mountain and mourned (tangi). The second name translates as "to examine the sky".
It was settled as, at its foot, Wellington's Te Aro filled with commercial activities. Residents needed to be close to the city but wanted more comfortable surroundings. For a long time it was one of Wellington's sources of fresh milk from its dairy farms.
Much of Mount Victoria is part of the Wellington Town Belt, a series of park land originally granted to the city in 1873 for public recreation. The vegetation in the area is dominated by pines and macrocarpa planted in the “plantation years” from the late 1800s to early 1900s. The area features many tracks used for walking and mountain biking.
A strong link was forged between Cretans and New Zealanders during World War II. New Zealanders left behind in the retreat from Crete were hidden from the occupying army by Cretans at great personal danger and they were able to harass occupying forces. A commemoration of the Battle of Crete is held each year in May.
Lloyd Street which has the Greek community centre and Orthodox Church was renamed Hania Street after Crete's old capital. Wellington's Olympic Football Club was established by Father Ilias Economou for his parishioners.
About 65 per cent of Greek New Zealanders live in Wellington and in the decades following World War II they were concentrated in Mount Victoria. The greatest concentration is now in Miramar and around half of Greek weddings are now with other New Zealanders.
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Wikipedia