Mount Saint John ( or ), is a volcanic scoria cone and Tà «puna Maunga (ancestral mountain) in Epsom, in the Auckland volcanic field of New Zealand.
It has a peak 126 metres above sea level and a crater around 125 m wide and 20 m deep. The age of Mount St John is currently unknown but is older than 28,500 years old as the scoria cone is mantled in ash from Te Tatua-a-Riukiuta volcano.
Mount St John is now known to be the source of the long lava flow that ran west down an old stream valley and out into the WaitematÃÂ Harbour as Meola Reef. Maungawhau / Mount Eden later erupted through the lava flow.
means 'the prominent mound' and is an abbreviation of . Mount Saint John was named after Colonel J. H. H. St John, who was prominent in the New Zealand Wars. None of its three names are official. In 2014, the TÃÂmaki Collective agreed that both Te Kà Âpuke and Tëtëkà Âpuke reflect the historical association of local MÃÂori with this site. The maunga is a place of great cultural and archaeological significance, and was the site of a pÃÂ, and has retained MÃÂori earthworks from that era such as kumara pits and terracing for housing.
During World War II, an anti-aircraft artillery was built on Mount Saint John, in order to protect the city of Auckland. In 1957, a water reservoir was constructed on the peak, buried underneath the eastern rim of the crater.
In the 2014 Treaty of Waitangi settlement between the Crown and the collective of 13 Auckland iwi and hapà « (also known as the TÃÂmaki Collective), ownership of the 14 Tà «puna Maunga of Auckland, was vested to the collective. The legislation specified that the land be held in trust "for the common benefit of NgàMana Whenua o TÃÂmaki Makaurau and the other people of Auckland". The Tà «puna Maunga o TÃÂmaki Makaurau Authority or Tà «puna Maunga Authority (TMA) is the co-governance organisation established to administer the 14 Tà «puna Maunga. Auckland Council manages the Tà «puna Maunga under the direction of the TMA.