Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority

Media Advisory

Wednesday 16 December 2015

Road closures on Maungawhau / Mt Eden

To enable essential road and carpark upgrades, Puhi Huia Road on Maungawhau / Mt Eden will be closed to all motor vehicles including tour buses on the following dates:

Wednesday 16 December to Friday 18 December 2015

Monday 20 December to Wednesday 23 December 2015

Tuesday 5 January to Friday 8 January 2016

Pedestrian and cycle access will remain open.

The upgrade work includes a reconfiguration of the lower carpark on Puhi Huia Road with the addition of a new left-turn only exit onto Clive Road. The carpark works are expected to be completed early to mid-January 2016.

Preliminary work will also start on the installation of vehicle bollards at the entrance and exit to the summit road.

Motor vehicle-free tihi (summit)

These upgrades are to enable to a motor-vehicle-free tihi (summit) on Maungawhau / Mt Eden in early January. The implementation date will be announced once the vehicle bollards have been installed and tested.

From that date, people who have limited mobility and are unable to walk to the tihi, or the driver for someone with limited mobility, can request a keypad access code to lower the bollards and drive to the top in their own vehicle.

Visitors will be able to obtain an access code on the day of their visit by calling Auckland Council on 09 379 1340 and providing their total mobility scheme or mobility parking permit number.

Background

The Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) of Tāmaki Makaurau / Auckland are some of the most significant cultural, historical and geological landscapes in the region.

To the 13 Mana Whenua tribes of Tāmaki who received ownership of the Tūpuna Maunga under the collective Treaty settlement in 2014, they are sacred as taonga tuku iho (treasures handed down the generations).

For Mana Whenua, the tihi has always been a place to be treated with respect and reverence. Today it is loved by all visitors as a place for quiet reflection and connection.

The Maungawhau tihi is being returned to a space free of motor vehicles to honour these values and create an enhanced, safer experience for pedestrians and cyclists.

ENDS

Notes to editors:

The Tūpuna Maunga o Tāmaki Makaurau Authority, which administers the Tūpuna Maunga, is comprised of equal representatives from Mana Whenua and Auckland Council.

The Authority represents a new era for the Tūpuna Maunga. Mana Whenua world views and priorities and the strong living connections all communities have with the maunga are now to be woven into a unified approach for their long term care.

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