North Head, New Zealand

Maungauika
North Head
Maungauika/North Head with the flanks of Rangitoto Island and the Hauraki Gulf beyond
Highest point
Elevation	50 m (160 ft)
Coordinates	36°49′40″S 174°48′43″E / 36.827751°S 174.81205°E / -36.827751; 174.81205Coordinates: 36°49′40″S 174°48′43″E / 36.827751°S 174.81205°E / -36.827751; 174.81205
Geography
Location	North Island, New Zealand
Geology
Volcanic arc/belt	Auckland volcanic field

Maungauika is a volcano forming a headland called North Head at the east end of the Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand in the suburb of Devonport. Known for its sweeping views over the harbour and the Hauraki Gulf, since 1885 the head was mainly used by the military as a coastal defence installation, which left a network of accessible old bunkers and tunnels as its legacy, forming part of the attraction. The site was protected as part of Hauraki Gulf Maritime Park in 1972 and listed as a Category I historic place in 2001. As part of a 2014 Treaty of Waitangi claim settlement the volcanic cone was officially named Maungauika and the reserve renamed Maungauika / North Head Historic Reserve. Maungauika is the Māori word for Mountain of Uika.

The original scoria cone has been substantially altered, first by marine erosion and later by the various generations of people who have occupied the headland. It was first used by Māori, and the Tainui waka was reputed to have put ashore close by at what is now Torpedo Bay. The Tainui people named the spring 'Takapuna', which was later used for the nearby beach. Some early photographs of the area show that they used to work gardens on the hill's lower slopes, though the pā fortifications of other cones in the area seem absent. European visitors during the 1850s have also described a settlement at the foot of the hill with gardens and racks for the drying of fish.

North Head provided the settlement of Auckland with its first pilot station for the guiding of ships into the harbour. In 1878, the area was then set aside as a public reserve - with the stipulation that if necessary, it could be re-appropriated for the New Zealand Army to use for defence purposes. In 1885, this then became reality. When the Russian scare was at its height, forts were built in various places around Auckland to deter the Russians.