Mount Eden / Maungawhau

About

Maungawhau is the highest natural point on the Auckland isthmus at 196 metres, and the view from the top is the best free thing in the city. You can see both harbours, the CBD, and on a clear day out to the Hauraki Gulf and the ranges. The crater, Te Kapua kai a Mataoho, the food bowl of Mataoho, is deep and startlingly intact, and it's tapu, so the floor is not to be entered. Vehicles no longer drive to the summit, which has made the walk up considerably more pleasant. It's a steady twenty minutes on a sealed path from the Mount Eden Road entrance, manageable for most people but steadily uphill. Go early or near sunset for the light and the smaller crowds. No charge and no booking, though the main gates close in the evening.