Volcanoes of Auckland: A Field Guide

by Bruce W. Hayward, Alastair Jamieson (Photographs)

A fully illustrated field guide for New Zealanders and visitors to take with them out among the 53 volcanoes that shape this city. Volcanoes of Auckland is a handy field guide to the fiery natural world that so deeply shapes New Zealand’s largest city—from Rangitoto to One Tree Hill, from Lake Pupuke to Orakei Basin. For hundreds of years, volcanoes have played a key part in the lives of indigenous Maori and Europeans—as sites for pa, kumara gardens, or twentieth-century military fortifications; as sources of stone and water; and now as parks and reserves for all to enjoy. This field guide features: an accessible introduction to the science of eruptions, including dating and the next eruption; a history of Maori and Pakeha uses of the volcanoes; an illustrated guide to each of Auckland’s 53 volcanoes, including where to go and what to do; and aerial photography, maps, and historic photographs—over 400 illustrations, 80% of them new. This field guide will help readers engage afresh with the history, geography, and geology of Auckland’s unique volcanic landscape. Volcanoes of Auckland is the essential guide for locals, tourists, school children, and scientists, as they climb up Mt Eden or North Head and take in the volcanic landscape that so shapes life in New Zealand’s largest city.

Genres: Nonfiction

344 pages, Hardcover

Published April 9, 2020

Reviews

[Keen Reader · Rating 2 out of 5]

As Hayward says, Auckland could just as easily be known as the City of Volcanoes, and think about it how many major cities of the world can you think of which actually exist on a volcanic field?...It sounds so exotic, to imagine a sprawling city of over 1 million inhabitants living on a large area where no less than 53 individual volcanoes have been identified.

We learn that this field has erupted spasmodically over the last 200’000 years, a thought which kind of makes you feel small and inconsequential by comparison, when you think of such a bewildering time span. The last one to erupt was in Rangitoto Island, around 600 years ago, the only one not to have erupted on land.

To be clear this is not a book for everyone, there is some interesting and informative background into the history of the area, and we see the ways that human intervention and attempts at progress have altered and in some cases removed large parts of the volcanoes, usually through mining, housing development or road construction.

We get exposed to a colourful and lively array of new words from the geological and volcanic lexicon, breadcrust and cowpat bombs, lava bubbles, gas blisters, rafted scoria mounds and scoria cones and let’s not forget those volcanic fields and fossil forests as well as the secrets of the Wiri Lava Cave.

So Hayward is clearly a knowledgeable source and Jamieson’s photography helps bring it to life, but overall I found the style a tad too dry for my tastes, but I did learn some interesting history about the region, which gave me a deeper appreciation and better understanding of the geology in Auckland.

[Prateek Vasisht · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book. Good illustrations and just enough information is presented to give broad idea and context. I think everyone who lives in Auckland should read it, or at least skim it. Auckland is city of volcanoes and we can see them from everywhere, yet I've found few public oriented books on it. This is good reference.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

With Allen Jamieson's aerial photography, and Bruce Hayward's geological notes this book is a delightful description of the underlying foundation of our biggest city.
Take this book on your family picnics. Check out calderas; the caves; the volcanic bombs and the buildings constructed from volcanic stones. Now I know why Auckland is so hilly. It is built over 52 volcanoes!

[Macy Cheng · Rating 5 out of 5]

Practical, relevant, and user friendly. Good scientific grounding too

[Rachel (Sfogs) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book for understanding the Auckland volcanic field.
And has an exhaustive list of things to do and see around all of them.
I really loved this book.