Guns, Tunnels and Māori Heritage: A North Head Summit Audio Tour

Maungauika North Head Historic Reserve is home to one of Auckland’s most intriguing military fortresses. On this walking tour, you’ll climb through hand-carved tunnels, explore gun emplacements, and hear stories spanning 800 years – from Māori pā fortifications to Cold War secrets. Starting at the Tainui Landing Memorial Marae, you’ll summit this ancient volcanic cone that guards Auckland’s harbour entrance. You’ll discover how this was where Māori chief Uika once established his settlement and how, later, colonial fears of Russian invasion created an underground labyrinth. You’ll walk the same paths used by Māori defenders, Victorian soldiers, and WWII personnel who carved these tunnels by hand through volcanic rock. The tour winds from Torpedo Bay through Devonport Domain park and up the summit with its spectacular 360-degree views. You’ll then head down to the charming and secluded Cheltenham Beach before returning along the waterfront. The tour ends in front of the Torpedo Bay Navy Museum, where you could relax for a while at Torpedo Bay Café. On this 90-minute tour, you’ll have a chance to: • Stand beside massive disappearing gun emplacements that could sink warships but never fired a shot in anger • See the Tainui Landing site, where Polynesian voyagers first arrived 700 years ago • Walk down ”smuggler stairs,” a pathway carved directly into volcanic stone that leads to hidden bunkers • Learn about the South Battery’s innovative hydro-pneumatic gun carriages and see the Memorial Saluting Battery • Pass Cheltenham Road’s heritage homes and the McHughs of Cheltenham restaurant, and find out how this peaceful suburb once bristled with searchlights and submarine nets • Hear legends about secret chambers and buried aircraft that have fuelled decades of mystery By the end of this tour, you’ll have experienced one of Auckland’s most captivating walks where volcanic geology, Māori heritage, and military ingenuity create an unforgettable adventure above one of the world’s most beautiful harbours. Please note: The tour includes moderate climbs and hand-hewn stone stairs, but the stories and views make every step worthwhile.

Price: £5.99 from VoiceMap