Maungawhau Tihi Boardwalk (Stage 2)

Nomination statement

Maungawhau / Mount Eden is a wāhi tapu and one of the most culturally, historically and visually significant ancestral maunga in Tāmaki Makaurau. With over one million visitors annually prior to COVID 19, years of unmanaged access had resulted in severe erosion, damage to archaeological features, and degradation of the mauri of the tihi (summit). Commissioned by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, the Maungawhau Tihi Boardwalk project was conceived as a carefully considered, low impact landscape intervention capable of protecting and healing the maunga while maintaining public access and enhancing understanding of this sacred place. Delivered across two stages between 2020 and 2024, Stage 2 completes the boardwalk circuit around the crater rim and upper tihi, building on the proof of concept established in Stage 1. The project is grounded in Te Ao Māori values and guided by close partnership with mana whenua. The design employs a restrained and reversible “kit of parts” boardwalk system, lifting visitors above the ground plane to protect archaeological features, halt erosion, and allow the landscape to recover. Materials were selected for longevity, reversibility and visual recessiveness, ensuring the landform remains the dominant presence. The boardwalk choreographs a sequence of movement and pause, revealing layered views across the volcanic field, harbours and city while reinforcing Maungawhau’s role as both an ancestral landmark and shared civic space. Through light infrastructure, ecological restoration and cultural humility, the project demonstrates how landscape architecture can support regeneration, manaaki people, and restore the mana and wairua of a living ancestral landscape.