Putauaki

Putauaki (Māori: Pūtauaki; also known in English as Mount Edgecumbe) is a dacite volcanic cone in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. Located 50 km east of Rotorua and three kilometres east of Kawerau, it is the easternmost vent of the Okataina volcanic centre, within the Taupo Volcanic Zone. The mountain rises to 820 m above sea level, and is visible from the waters of the Bay of Plenty, 30 km to the north. Every year a King of the Mountain race is run on Putauaki as part of the international King of the Mountain series, and proceeds are donated to charity.

For other mountains named Edgecumbe, see Mount Edgecumbe.
Putauaki
Mount Edgecumbe
Putauaki (Mount Edgecumbe) from the north
Highest point
Elevation820 m (2,690 ft)
Coordinates38°06′20″S 176°44′09″E 
Geography
Geology
Last eruptionAround 300 BCE

History

The last substantial volcanic eruption occurred around 300 BCE, producing a cubic kilometre of lava.[1]

Captain James Cook named the mountain "Mount Edgecumbe" on 2 November 1769, possibly in honour of John Edgecombe, the sergeant of marines on his vessel, the Endeavour.[2] The mountain's official name changed back to Putauaki in 1925.[3]

The New Zealand government took part of the mountain from the Ngāti Awa people in the 1880s as part of a series of North Island land confiscations, supposedly for the purposes of military settlement. In a 1999 report the Waitangi Tribunal declared the confiscation illegal because there was no prospect of placing settlers on the mountain.[4]

Legendary source of name

Māori legend tells of a love affair that Pūtauaki had with Whakaari/White Island. Another version of the legend is that Pūtauaki was lonely after losing a fight for Pīhanga (another mountain) so when he met Tarawera he decided to start a relationship with her. After raising a son and years of a troubled marriage, Pūtauaki cast his eye out towards the sea, where the very beautiful Whakaari was. The two would call out to each other at night while Tarawera slept. One night Pūtauaki could not contain his love any longer and decided to travel out to be with Whakaari. It is said that a mountain can only move once in their life and only at night so Pūtauaki had to travel across the land fast. Little did he know, his son had awoken and was following him. He heard the little whimper from his son and turned around. He tried to tell his son to stay with Tarawera but the little mountain would not leave his father. Then the sun rose and froze the two mountains where they were. When Tarawera awoke she saw that her husband had left and she started to weep, thus creating the Tarawera Falls and river. Until this day Tarawera still cries and Whakaari still calls out for her lover, who is frozen to the spot near Kawerau.

  • View of the mountain from the north
  • Putauaki and the Tarawera River
  • Putauaki overlooks a geothermal bore field near Kawerau
  • Putauaki seen in an 1847 illustration depicting a Māori feast at Matata

See also

References
  1. "Okataina: Eruptive History". Global Volcanism Program. Smithsonian Institution.
  2. Compare the nearby town of Edgecumbe. Reed, A. W. (1975). The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names. Max Cryer. Auckland: Reed (published 2002). p. 131. ISBN 0790007614. Cook may have named [the mountain] after John Edgecumbe, sergeant of the marines on the Endeavour. [...] Professor Beaglehole [...] stated there were two other possible sources - Mt Edgecumbe at Plymouth or, more probably, George Edgcumbe who became Lord Edgcumbe in 1761 and Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe in 1789, and who was a naval officer of some note.
  3. "New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names" (PDF). Land Information New Zealand. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  4. "Ngati Awa Raupatu Report, chapter 10, Waitangi Tribunal, 1999". Archived from the original on 2007-03-17. Retrieved 2008-06-26.
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