Date visited: 2 February 2021
Volcanic history
Even if you’ve lived in Tāmaki Makaurau all your life, you probably haven’t heard of Styak’s Swamp (unless you happen to be one of the folks doing this volcano thing).
It’s a volcano that doesn’t exist anymore, but it’s found in the industrial suburb of East Tāmaki, approximately here, north of Green Hill (or Greenmount).
The volcano formerly known as Styak’s Swamp erupted nearly 20,000 years ago, resulting in a 200m wide explosion crater surrounded by a tuff ring. The lava flow from the volcano reached as far as the Burswood subdivision, which is a few kilometres away.
Our visit
Again this was destined to be merely a box-checking visit to cross Styak’s Swamp off our list. There is not a lot to see here. The only thing of note in this photo, which was taken from outside a business on Polaris Place, is Green Hill (Greenmount) in the background.
Directions and facilities
Again, no facilities, although this is a light industrial area so it’s not terrifying if you want to park the car and go for a walk around. The closest you can get to the former Styak’s Swamp without trespassing is Polaris Place, East Tāmaki, although you could also visit Greenmount Reserve, off Guys Road, which is sort of next door to Styak’s Swamp, and also has public toilets.
Happy adventuring,
