Date visited: 29 January 2021
Volcanic history
Kohuora Park in the suburb of Papatoetoe is a V-shaped crater about 30 meters deep and 600 meters wide. It was formed by an eruption from several volcanic vents (it is estimated three), approximately 34 million years ago. The vents merged into one L-shaped crater, which is surrounded by a high tuff ring.
All of this to say that Kohuora Park is the most complex explosion crater in the Auckland Volcanic Field. It’s now home to a restored freshwater wetland, providing an important habitat for native bird and plant species.
The name “Kohuora” means “mist of life”. According to legend, the crater was created by Matāoho, the giant Waiōhua God, whose footsteps gave rise to the volcanoes of Tāmaki Mākaurau. It’s also sometimes called “Kohuaroa”, or “the cauldron of life.”
Kohuora (together with Mangere Lagoon, Waitomokia, Crater Hill, Pukaki Lagoon and Mt. Robertson) is one of the features of the Auckland Volcanic Field collectively called “Nga Tapuwae a Mataoho, or “the sacred footprints of Mataoho”, referring to one of the Māori creation stories.
Our visit
We parked on the street on Peverill Crescent and walked down the grassy hill to the sports field, at the end of which is the entrance to the wetland. The path is a mixture of wooden boardwalk and pavement, and is pretty much flat, so it is suitable for wheeled contrivances.
It was a pretty spot with lots of birds and plants, just as the sign promised. Leo took this photo because it featured an orange road cone.
According to the Auckland City Council website, the Kohuora Park walk is only 1000 steps and 1300m, which should apparently take 20 minutes. We spent a lot longer than 20 minutes on this particular walk, but we did make a lot of stops to look at the funny plants.
Leo was particularly interested in these plants, which he thought looked like hotdogs (Cattails, or Typha spp.).
We didn’t see many birds in the wetland area itself but there were a lot (LOT) of pukeko on the sports field.
Directions and facilities
There are several ways to get to Kohuora Park. Put 10 Peverill Crescent into the GPS, from where you can park on the street and descend a grassy hill onto the flat area approaching the wetlands. Alternatively, you can enter the park from Glenmary Place, Papatoetoe. There are toilets, picnic tables, and a playground. Note that part of this park is an off-leash dog area, so you may encounter dogs.
Happy adventuring,
