Maori Pa

Mt Wellington became a hill pa between 1630 and 1700.

A Maori pa is a place where Maori lived. They slept there and grew their food their too.

It is believed that over 2000 Maori once lived in the pa.

Maungarei means ‘Watchful Mountain’ or ‘The Mountain of Reipae’ – a Tainui ancestress who travelled to Northland in the form of a bird. The maori settlements were Mokoia Pa and later Mauinaina Pa and fortification ditches and terraced house sites can still be seen.