Geologist warns of volcano under threat

By ALEXIS GRANT

One of Auckland's volcanic cones is about to be destroyed and buried under a housing development.

An Auckland geologist says what's left of the small cone next to Mt Wellington, known as Purchas Hill, has been forgotten about, but if the public knew what might happen they wouldn't stand for it.

"If it gets subdivided and covered with houses and industry, you can never reclaim the land and restore [the] volcano," Bruce Hayward said.

He thinks the site should be preserved as is or, if it must be levelled, turned into a park.

The cone was re-discovered when buildings along Morrin Rd on the edge of the Mt Wellington quarry were torn down, making what's left of the cone visible from the road.

Some geologists had thought it was levelled years ago.

Now, LandCo is developing the area, putting Purchas Hill, also known as Tauomo, at risk. On Monday, diggers were within 100m of the cone site.

A spokesman for LandCo said, the area next to Mt Wellington had been designated for urban development, but no specific plans had been made for the area that included the cone site.

A statement by LandCo chief executive Greg Olliver indicates there are no plans to preserve the area, which has undergone an archaeological assessment.

In September, the Environmental Court approved the six-year project as the country's largest private housing development.

"LandCo is unaware of any discoveries that need to be brought to the attention of regulatory bodies in relation to work under way around Morrin Rd," said Mr Olliver.

The Auckland City Council, which is responsible for land preservation, was unavailable for comment.

Purchas Hill was once 30m high - small compared with Auckland's other volcanoes numbering about 50. It was quarried for nearly a century until 1967, when industry built up around the area, hiding the cone.

"Because it could not be seen from the road, many assumed it had been completely quarried away," Mr Hayward said.

He is worried the cone will be destroyed like others in Auckland such as Otara Hill in Manukau, which was demolished in 2000.

While others agree the cone site should be remembered, some say there's so little left of the original shape it would make more sense to turn it into a park.

"I don't know if it's worth keeping," said Ian Smith, an associate professor of geology at Auckland University. "It's just a little pile of rubble."

A spokesman for the Volcanic Cone Society was unaware of the specifics of Purchas Hill but said preserving "something is better than nothing".