Mount Victoria | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 196 m (643 ft) |
Coordinates | 41°17′46″S 174°47′46″E / 41.296056°S 174.796083°E |
Geography | |
Location | North Island, New Zealand |
Mount Victoria, also known as Matairangi and colloquially as Mt Vic, is a prominent 196-metre (643 ft) hill immediately to the east of central Wellington, New Zealand. About 4 kilometres due south is a spur named Mount Albert and the two are linked by a ridge. Mount Victoria gives its name to the suburb of Mount Victoria to the west.
Mount Victoria's original Māori name is Tangi Te Keo, [1] though Matairangi is also used. [2] The first name derives from a legend in which two taniwha tried to escape from Wellington Harbour which was then an enclosed lake. One taniwha became stranded and died, and its spirit turned into a bird named Te Keo, which flew to the top of the mountain and mourned (tangi). [1] The second name translates as "to examine the sky". [3]
In 1931, the Mount Victoria Tunnel was opened, [4] connecting the suburbs of Mount Victoria and Hataitai.
Television broadcasts began in Wellington on 1 July 1961, broadcast from a transmitter atop Mount Victoria. In 1967, the Mount Victoria transmitter was replaced with a more powerful transmitter at Mount Kaukau. [5]
Mount Victoria is a popular walk for tourists and Wellingtonians alike, as from the summit one can see most of Wellington. There are numerous mountain bike and walking tracks on the hill.