Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond, Dormant volcano in Auckland, New Zealand

Ōtāhuhu is a dormant volcano in Auckland with two distinct craters set into the surrounding landscape. Walking paths connect the crater areas and allow visitors to move around the scoria slopes.

Ōtāhuhu / Mount Richmond was the site of a Māori pā, and earthworks such as kumara pits and terracing remain. In the 2014 Treaty of Waitangi settlement, ownership of the 14 Tūpuna Maunga of Auckland, including this volcano, was vested in the Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau collective of 13 iwi and hapū, to be held in trust for the common benefit of the collective and other Aucklanders.

The name Ōtāhuhu comes from a Māori portage route linking the Manukau and Waitematā harbours, and the suburb of Ōtāhuhu takes its name from the mountain. The peak was the site of a pā, and kumara pits and terracing from that settlement remain visible on the slopes.

The maunga is co-governed by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, which sets visiting rules; check its signage before climbing. The scoria slopes and crater rims are uneven, and the Māori earthworks are fragile, so stay on formed tracks. The summit reaches 48 m, giving views over the Auckland isthmus and the two craters.

The summit was the site of a pā, and Māori earthworks survive there, including kumara storage pits and terracing cut into the scoria. In 2014 the mountain was vested with 13 other Tūpuna Maunga in the Treaty of Waitangi settlement with the Tāmaki Collective.