Mt Eden, Auckland

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We caught Explorer Bus to Mt Eden. What a spectacular view of Auckland from the summit towering almost 200 metres high, you can see good views in all directions over the city. You can spend hours here just admiring the sight. There are walking path trails featuring native vegetation. Apparently the panoramic view at night the city lights are like fairy land. Open: daily - 24 hours admission: free

Offering panoramic views of Auckland and beyond, Mount Eden is worth visiting if you are in Auckland for more than a couple days. Just two kilometers south of the city center, Mount Eden can be reached either by walking up Mount Eden Road or by catching one of the city buses. The place is immensely popular with tour groups, which parade in and out in droves all day long. All the same, it’s still a worthwhile stop, and, unlike the Sky Tower, the outstanding views are free and include the city’s most famous landmark – the Sky Tower.

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Mt Eden, one of about 50 volcanoes of the Auckland volcanic field, is one of Auckland's most famous landmarks formed about 20,000 to 30,000 years ago. As the highest volcano (196 meteres) on the Auckland isthmus (a.k.a a narrow strip of land with water on both sides), it is a great viewpoint for 360* views arond the city. Apparently because of the type of volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field, Mt Eden and any of the other existing volcanoes in the area will not likely erupt again. With that bit of information, you can safely plan for an hour enjoying the views and the history that Mt Eden has to offer.

Mt Eden, or Maunga-whau, was one of the most important Maori sites in the Auckland area. They lived here from about 800 years ago, building a pa (fortified village site) which was eventually abandoned in the 1700s. The cone and crater of Mt Eden is protected by law. Respect the sacredness and geological significance of the area by obeying the signs when they ask you NOT to climb down into the crater.

Be aware that you may be sharing the space with several cows. It appears that Mt Eden may also be a communal pasture for dairy farmers in the area. The cows won't bother you if you don't bother them. :-)

this crater was really huge!!! it was an amazing first time seeing such a deep hole in the ground! gee! we did a complete round of the crater and boy were we left panting! it was such a great thing to see considering that i will never see it in my country.

If you're in to hiking and nature, well this is the place to be. Hiking down into the pit was the easy part...had to go spell "USA" down in the pit for all to see...but getting back up was a challenge. Please stick to the walking trails, it's been walked many a times for a reason. It's the easiest way to get up and down from the top. I've seen others make attempts to get back up where it was less traveled, well needless to say, it wasn't a pretty sight. The view of Auckland is best seen when it's a clear day. Pictures will be added soon....

It´s easy, you just take a bus to Mt. Eden Rd and then you walk up one of those side roads that takes you to the summit crater. My problem was I couldn´t find the right side road so I ended up wandering around asking people how to get on the top (They didn´t know but a lady told me I could just jump over a fence and start climbing), so I did. I crawled through a grassy steep forest without any path. But I got there and it was worth of it. Well the crater didn´t look like I was imagening, it was all covered by grass and wasn´t that deep. But the view on city was just spectacular.

Mt Eden is a volcanic crater just 4 kms from the city centre. I had not been up Mt Eden in many years but on my last trip home I was driving past and decided to venture up to the summit. The views were as spectacular as ever. A wonderful panorama of Auckland including views of the city with Rangitoto in the background, out west to the Waitakere Ranges and to another nearby crater, One Tree Hill (named so for obvious reasons at the time - but sadly not now).

The prison is a distinctive landmark in Mt Eden and was built of bluestone during the 1880’s by the prisoners. A brick house built for the Superintendent during the early 1890’s became part of the women’s prison in 1964. Additional wings were added in 1903, 1913 and 1917. The style is an important example of 19th century penal design and still remains a prison today.