Maungawhau Tihi Boardwalk

MAUNGA TŪ MAURI ORA, MAUNGA TŪ MAKAURAU ORA / IF THE MAUNGA ARE WELL, AUCKLAND IS WELL

Maungawhau the highest point in Auckland (Tāmaki Makaurau) affords panoramic views over the city and harbour. A pre-eminent Māori pā, Maungawhau was a citadel built for thousands on an extinct volcano. Tūpuna Maunga (ancestral mountains) are revered as living ancestral beings, connected by whakapapa (lineage) to Māori, to be respected and protected, underpinned by the ethos that the physical, spiritual and human worlds are intrinsically linked. The Tūpuna Maunga Authority governing Maungawhau engaged Isthmus to deliver a world-class boardwalk experience. The designed outcome is a direct response to this brief, elevating the Maunga and supporting its health and wellbeing, by reducing the physical impact of the one million annual visitors (Auckland’s population is 1.7 million). While some original pā earthworks are lost, there is still much evidence of the archaeological features.
The boardwalk follows a careful fit and form, providing an immersive rather than observational experience, and is founded on removable screw piles installed by hand. The New Zealand steel structure and piles are fully recyclable. The systemised design integrates an engineering methodology with architectural materiality to create a restrained kit of parts.  Materials will naturally weather and are permeable to the elements, allowing grass growth and ground stability beneath. Stage 1 completed in 2020 achieved proof of design, and was replicated, and expanded on in stage 2 completed in 2023.
Volcanic rock forests are incredibly rare ecology and Maungawhau would have sustained plants, insects and birds unique to Auckland’s pre-human biodiversity. New native plantings, sourced from cultural harvesting sites, attract, protect, and provide habitat for native fauna such as the kahukōwhai (yellow admiral butterfly) and mokomoko (skinks).
The boardwalk design brings the site from the past to the present and into the future, ongoing activations that reflects the kaupapa (purpose) of the Authority and combining western science with mātauranga (indigenous knowledge). Built outcomes and restorations enable Tāmaki Māori to fulfil their role as kaitiaki (guardians) through building back biodiversity, providing agency for climate change resilience through culture, pride and a world view founded on Indigenous wisdom.