Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock, Volcanic rock at the mouth of Manukau Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand

Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe / Ninepin Rock is a volcanic plug at the mouth of the Manukau Harbour in the Waitākere Ranges area. The rock rises from the sea as a dark, jagged mass with a lower, rounded outcrop to its left, and its upper slopes are patched with green vegetation.

The rock is the remains of a volcanic vent from the Miocene era Waitākere Volcano, which was uplifted from the sea millions of years ago. In the 1860s, a signal mast was built on it to help ships and logging communities, and it now carries a trig station.

The Māori name Te Toka-Tapu-a-Kupe means the sacred rock of Kupe, referring to the Polynesian navigator who is said to have performed rituals here. Today, the rock is still known by both its Māori and European names, and the dual name reflects the shared stories of the area.

The rock is best seen from the beach or the nearby tracks at Whatipu, where you can walk along the sand and get a clear view of it. Check the tide before you go, because the base of the rock is washed by surf and the area can be cut off at high water.

According to Te Kawerau ā Maki oral history, Kupe cast his marowhara into the sea here, making the Tasman Sea too rough for his pursuers. The rock was once an island at high tide, but shifting sand dunes have joined it to the mainland.