Three Kings, New Zealand
Encyclopedia
Three Kings refers to both a suburb
of Auckland
, New Zealand
, and the (formerly) three-peaked volcano that it is named after. Three Kings should not be confused with the Three Kings Islands
, located off the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island
.
and Mt Roskill
.
The suburb is home to an ethnically diverse population of about 5,000 people.
Three Kings features a small shopping mall and supermarket complex called Three Kings Plaza. It also has a commercial area, an accident and medical clinic and hosts the office of Phil Goff
, Labour Party
leader and MP for the Mt Roskill electorate
. The local state secondary school is Mount Roskill Grammar School
. Catholic students attend Marcellin College
(coed), St Peter's College
(boys) or Marist College
(girls). The local state primary schools are Mt Roskill Primary and Intermediate, Three Kings Primary, May Road Primary and Domminion Road Primary.
Three Kings (also Te Tatua a Riukiuta) is one of the volcanoes in the Auckland Volcanic Field
. What is, or was, called "The Three Kings" was a collection of volcanic cones (actually four in number) sitting inside a much larger shallower explosion crater. Along the edge of this crater to the south runs Mount Albert Road and to the north Landscape Road. This volcanic field erupted repeatedly over thousands of years disgorging vast amounts of scoria and lava. The three largest scoria cones of the group were Big King at 133 m high, East King at 120 m high, and Highest King which was 135 m high.
Massive lava flows ran from here to the Waitemata Harbour
several miles away creating Meola Reef
at Point Chevalier
. These flows created lava tunnel
s which still exist under the current ground surface. Thus rainwater falling on Three Kings and the surrounding area is channeled underground for miles until it emerges at Western Springs
Lake. Most of these lava tunnels have collapsed but sections of them form caves and can be accessed from private properties in the area.
The Three Kings area has been drastically quarried
over the years for the red scoria
it contains, and only one of the three large peaks (Big King) remains today, largely because of the water tank that was built on its summit at the beginning of the 20th century. Big King is the property of the Auckland City Council
and being a public reserve will not be quarried.
However, the large scoria deposits in the surrounding area are still being quarried. The ground water level became a problem for the quarry in 1995, and Winstone Aggregates, the company operating the quarry, arranged with the Auckland City Council to supply the water to the region. However, as a result of local opposition to this arrangement, the water is instead discarded into the sea. The dewatering has led to concerns about subsidence
of the ground.
Three Kings was the site of a pā
, and Big King has retained Māori earthworks from that era such as kumara pits and terracing.
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
, and the (formerly) three-peaked volcano that it is named after. Three Kings should not be confused with the Three Kings Islands
Three Kings Islands
The Three Kings Islands or Manawa Islands are a group of 13 islands about northwest of Cape Reinga, the northernmost point of the North Island of New Zealand, where the South Pacific Ocean and Tasman Sea converge. They measure about 4.86 km² in area...
, located off the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island
North Island
The North Island is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the much less populous South Island by Cook Strait. The island is in area, making it the world's 14th-largest island...
.
Suburb
Three Kings is located six kilometres south of the city centre, between the suburbs of Royal OakRoyal Oak, New Zealand
- to the north-east - to the east - to the south-east - to the south - to the south-west - to the west - to the north-west Epsom One Tree Hill Oranga Onehunga...
and Mt Roskill
Mount Roskill, New Zealand
Mount Roskill is both a volcanic peak and the suburban area in the city of Auckland, New Zealand.- Mountain :The peak, which is to the southwest end of the suburb, is 110 metres in height, and is one of the many extinct cones which dot the isthmus of Auckland, all of which are part of the Auckland...
.
The suburb is home to an ethnically diverse population of about 5,000 people.
Three Kings features a small shopping mall and supermarket complex called Three Kings Plaza. It also has a commercial area, an accident and medical clinic and hosts the office of Phil Goff
Phil Goff
Philip Bruce Goff is the current Leader of the Opposition and the Leader of the New Zealand Labour Party. During the Fifth Labour Government, he served in a number of ministerial portfolios, including Minister of Defence of New Zealand, Minister of Corrections, Minister of Foreign Affairs and...
, Labour Party
New Zealand Labour Party
The New Zealand Labour Party is a New Zealand political party. It describes itself as centre-left and socially progressive and has been one of the two primary parties of New Zealand politics since 1935....
leader and MP for the Mt Roskill electorate
Mount Roskill (New Zealand electorate)
Mount Roskill is a Parliamentary electorate in Auckland, New Zealand, returning one Member of Parliament to the House of Representatives. Phil Goff of the Labour Party has held the seat since the 1999 election....
. The local state secondary school is Mount Roskill Grammar School
Mount Roskill Grammar School
Mount Roskill Grammar is a secondary school in the suburb of Mount Roskill, Auckland, officially opened in 1954. The school has students of over 70 different nationalities including approximately 200 International students...
. Catholic students attend Marcellin College
Marcellin College, Auckland
Marcellin College is an integrated, co-educational college in Royal Oak, Auckland, New Zealand for students in Year 7 to Year 13. Marcellin College was founded by the Marist Brothers in 1958 as a secondary school for boys only. The school is located on spacious grounds which were formerly part of...
(coed), St Peter's College
St Peter's College, Auckland
St Peter's College is a Catholic college for year 7 to 13 boys . The school, located in Auckland, is one of the largest Catholic schools in New Zealand and is an integrated school under an integration agreement entered into by the Catholic Bishop of Auckland and the Government of New Zealand in...
(boys) or Marist College
Marist College, New Zealand
Marist College is a Catholic girls high-school located in Mount Albert, Auckland, New Zealand. It teaches from year 7 through to Year 13 with a curriculum based on Roman Catholicism...
(girls). The local state primary schools are Mt Roskill Primary and Intermediate, Three Kings Primary, May Road Primary and Domminion Road Primary.
Volcano
Auckland Volcanic Field
The Auckland volcanic field is a monogenetic volcanic field in the North Island of New Zealand. Basaltic in nature, it underlies much of the metropolitan area of Auckland....
. What is, or was, called "The Three Kings" was a collection of volcanic cones (actually four in number) sitting inside a much larger shallower explosion crater. Along the edge of this crater to the south runs Mount Albert Road and to the north Landscape Road. This volcanic field erupted repeatedly over thousands of years disgorging vast amounts of scoria and lava. The three largest scoria cones of the group were Big King at 133 m high, East King at 120 m high, and Highest King which was 135 m high.
Massive lava flows ran from here to the Waitemata Harbour
Waitemata Harbour
The quite famous Waitemata Harbour is the main access by sea to Auckland, New Zealand. For this reason it is often referred to as Auckland Harbour, despite the fact that it is only one of two harbours surrounding the city, and is crossed by the Auckland Harbour Bridge. The Waitemata forms the north...
several miles away creating Meola Reef
Meola Reef
The Meola Reef, or Te Tokaroa Reef in Māori is a lava flow forming a reef peninsula across part of Auckland's Waitemata Harbour, New Zealand. It was formed 20,000 years ago from the final portion of a 10 kilometer long lava flow that originated from the distant Three Kings volcano...
at Point Chevalier
Point Chevalier
Point Chevalier is a suburb and peninsula in the west of the city of Auckland in the north of New Zealand. It is located five kilometres to the west of the city centre on the southern shore of the Waitemata Harbour....
. These flows created lava tunnel
Lava tube
Lava tubes are natural conduits through which lava travels beneath the surface of a lava flow, expelled by a volcano during an eruption. They can be actively draining lava from a source, or can be extinct, meaning the lava flow has ceased and the rock has cooled and left a long, cave-like...
s which still exist under the current ground surface. Thus rainwater falling on Three Kings and the surrounding area is channeled underground for miles until it emerges at Western Springs
Western Springs
Western Springs is a residential suburb and park in the west of the city of Auckland in the north of New Zealand. It is located four kilometres to the west of the city centre, situated to the north of State Highway 16....
Lake. Most of these lava tunnels have collapsed but sections of them form caves and can be accessed from private properties in the area.
The Three Kings area has been drastically quarried
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
over the years for the red scoria
Scoria
Scoria is a volcanic rock containing many holes or vesicles. It is most generally dark in color , and basaltic or andesitic in composition. Scoria is relatively low in mass as a result of its numerous macroscopic ellipsoidal vesicles, but in contrast to pumice, all scoria has a specific gravity...
it contains, and only one of the three large peaks (Big King) remains today, largely because of the water tank that was built on its summit at the beginning of the 20th century. Big King is the property of the Auckland City Council
Auckland City
Auckland City was the city and local authority covering the Auckland isthmus and most of the islands of the Hauraki Gulf, in the North Island of New Zealand. On 1 November 2010 it was amalgamated into the wider Auckland Region under the authority of the new Auckland Council...
and being a public reserve will not be quarried.
However, the large scoria deposits in the surrounding area are still being quarried. The ground water level became a problem for the quarry in 1995, and Winstone Aggregates, the company operating the quarry, arranged with the Auckland City Council to supply the water to the region. However, as a result of local opposition to this arrangement, the water is instead discarded into the sea. The dewatering has led to concerns about subsidence
Subsidence
Subsidence is the motion of a surface as it shifts downward relative to a datum such as sea-level. The opposite of subsidence is uplift, which results in an increase in elevation...
of the ground.
Three Kings was the site of a pā
Pa (Maori)
The word pā can refer to any Māori village or settlement, but in traditional use it referred to hillforts fortified with palisades and defensive terraces and also to fortified villages. They first came into being about 1450. They are located mainly in the North Island north of lake Taupo...
, and Big King has retained Māori earthworks from that era such as kumara pits and terracing.