Pūtauaki

---

title: "Pūtauaki" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["whakatāne-district", "volcanoes-of-the-bay-of-plenty-region", "okataina-volcanic-centre", "volcanic-cones", "vei-5-volcanoes", "whakatane-graben", "taupō-volcanic-zone", "transmitter-sites-in-new-zealand", "lava-domes-of-new-zealand", "holocene-lava-domes"] description: "New Zealand volcano" topic_path: "geography/new-zealand" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pūtauaki" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary New Zealand volcano ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox mountain"]

Field	Value
name	Pūtauaki
other_name	Mount Edgecumbe
photo	Putauaki01.jpg
photo_caption	Pūtauaki (Mount Edgecumbe) from the north
elevation_m	821
elevation_ref
map	New Zealand North Island
label_position	right
location	Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand
coordinates
coordinates_ref
last_eruption	± 130 BCE
map_image	{{#tag:mapframe
align	center
text	Map centred on Pūtauaki (red marker) showing surface volcanic deposits including the present surface Ōkataina Caldera ignimbrites.
width	295
height	350
latitude	-38.10
longitude	176.74
icon	no
zoom	12
::

| name = Pūtauaki | other_name = Mount Edgecumbe | photo = Putauaki01.jpg | photo_caption = Pūtauaki (Mount Edgecumbe) from the north | elevation_m = 821 | elevation_ref = | prominence = | map = New Zealand North Island | map_caption = | label_position = right | listing = | location = Bay of Plenty Region, New Zealand | range = | coordinates = | coordinates_ref = | topo = | type = | age = | last_eruption = ± 130 BCE | first_ascent = | easiest_route = | map_image = {{#tag:mapframe|[,{ "type": "Feature", "properties": { "marker-size": "small", "marker-color": "#ff0000", "marker-symbol": "volcano", "title": "Pūtauaki" }, "geometry": {"type": "Point", "coordinates":[176.7400228, -38.106905]} }]|frameless=1 |align=center |text=Map centred on Pūtauaki (red marker) showing surface volcanic deposits including the present surface Ōkataina Caldera ignimbrites. |width=295 |height=350 |latitude=-38.10 |longitude=176.74 |icon=no |zoom=12

Pūtauaki, known in English as Mount Edgecumbe, is a dacite volcanic cone in the Bay of Plenty Region of New Zealand. A King of the Mountain race was run on Pūtauaki as part of the international King of the Mountain series between 1955 and 2020, and proceeds were donated to charity.

Geography

Located 50 km east of Rotorua and three kilometres east of Kawerau, it is the easternmost vent of the Taupō Volcanic Zone adjacent to the Ōkataina volcanic centre. The mountain rises to 821 m above sea level, and is visible from the waters of the Bay of Plenty, 30 km to the north.

Geology

The composite volcano is located towards the centre of the onshore portion of the very geologically active Whakatāne Graben in the northeastern aspect of the young, modern Taupō Rift. There were several periods of dome growth and collapse between about 8350 and 2400 years BP. The last substantial volcanic eruption occurred at ± 130 BCE, producing a cubic kilometre of lava. There was a previous eruption dated to ± 50 BCE. The volcano produced the Edgecumbe Formation which are pyroxene-bearing andesite to dacite lava flows (up to 67 wt% SiO2), domes and minor pyroclastic tephra. Although classified by some as part of the Ōkataina volcanic centre system, compositional studies reveal important differences in the depth of accumulation and fractionation of the magma of the Pūtauaki system consistent with separate plumbing.

::data[format=table title="Characterised Eruptions Pūtauaki{{cite journal|doi=10.5479/si.GVP.VOTW5-2025.5.3|title=[Database] Volcanoes of the World (v. 5.3.1; 6 Aug 2025)|journal=Global Volcanism Program|first=E.|last=Venzke|date=6 August 2025|publisher=Smithsonian Institution}}"]

Years ago	Calendar date	VEI	Volume erupted	Notes
	300 BCE	0
2490 ± 130 cal.yr	± 130 BCE	-	1 km3 DRE
3330 ± 50 cal.yr	± 50 BCE	-
5550 cal.yr	BCE	0
::

History

Captain James Cook named the mountain "Mount Edgecumbe" on 2 November 1769, possibly in honour of John Edgecombe, the sergeant of marines on his vessel, the Endeavour. Compare the nearby town of Edgecumbe. | last1 = Reed | first1 = A. W. | author-link1 = Alexander Wyclif Reed | year = 1975 | title = The Reed Dictionary of New Zealand Place Names | others = Max Cryer | location = Auckland | publisher = Reed | publication-date = 2002 | page = 131 | isbn = 0790007614 | quote = Cook may have named [the mountain] after John Edgecumbe, sergeant of the marines on the Endeavour. [...] Professor Beaglehole [...] stated there were two other possible sources - Mt Edgecumbe at Plymouth or, more probably, George Edgcumbe who became Lord Edgcumbe in 1761 and Earl of Mount-Edgcumbe in 1789, and who was a naval officer of some note. The mountain's official name changed back to Pūtauaki in 1925.

The New Zealand government took part of the mountain from the Ngāti Awa people in the 1880s as part of a series of North Island land confiscations, supposedly for the purposes of military settlement. In a 1999 report the Waitangi Tribunal declared the confiscation illegal because there was no prospect of placing settlers on the mountain.

Legendary source of name

Māori legend tells of a love affair that Pūtauaki had with Whakaari / White Island. Another version of the legend is that Pūtauaki was lonely after losing a fight for Pīhanga (another mountain) so when he met Tarawera he decided to start a relationship with her. After raising a son and years of a troubled marriage, Pūtauaki cast his eye out towards the sea, where the very beautiful Whakaari was. The two would call out to each other at night while Tarawera slept. One night Pūtauaki could not contain his love any longer and decided to travel out to be with Whakaari. It is said that a mountain can only move once in their life and only at night so Pūtauaki had to travel across the land fast. Little did he know, his son had awoken and was following him. He heard the little whimper from his son and turned around. He tried to tell his son to stay with Tarawera but the little mountain would not leave his father. Then the sun rose and froze the two mountains where they were. When Tarawera awoke she saw that her husband had left and she started to weep, thus creating the Tarawera Falls and river. Until this day Tarawera still cries and Whakaari still calls out for her lover, who is frozen to the spot near Kawerau.

Transmitter

Pūtauaki is home to a major FM radio transmitter for the eastern Bay of Plenty. Prior to digital television transition in December 2013, the transmitter was also the main analogue television transmitter for the area. ::data[format=table]

Radio Station	Transmit Frequency	Licensed power (kW)
The Breeze	92.1 MHz	1.6
RNZ Concert	95.3 MHz	5
SENZ	96.1 MHz	1.6
Tumeke FM	96.9 MHz	4
RNZ National	101.7 MHz	5
The Edge	104.1 MHz	1.6
The Sound	105.7 MHz	1.6
::

Gallery

File:Putauaki02.jpg|View of the mountain from the north File:Putauaki Tarawera.jpg|Putauaki and the Tarawera River File:Borefield at Kawerau NZ.jpg|Pūtauaki overlooks a geothermal bore field near Kawerau A Feast at Mata-ta, on the East Coast - New Zealanders Illustrated, 1847.jpg|Pūtauaki seen in an 1847 illustration depicting a Māori feast at Matatā

References

References

1. "NZ Topomap:Putauaki (Mount Edgecumbe), Bay of Plenty".
2. "66th Kawarua King of the Mountain".
3. (2022). "Crustal Forensics at Pūtauaki (Mt. Edgecumbe), New Zealand reveal the influence of deep crustal arc processes on magma evolution in the Taupo Volcanic Zone". Contributions to Mineralogy and Petrology.
4. "Okataina: Eruptive History".
5. (2010). "Geology of Rotorua area. 1:25000 Geological map 5". GNS Science, Lower Hutt, New Zealand.
6. Venzke, E.. (6 August 2025). "[Database] Volcanoes of the World (v. 5.3.1; 6 Aug 2025)". Smithsonian Institution.
7. (May 2020). "New Zealand Gazetteer of Official Geographic Names". Land Information New Zealand}}{{Dead link.
8. "Ngati Awa Raupatu Report, chapter 10, Waitangi Tribunal, 1999.".
9. "Home".
10. (31 March 2008). "New Zealand Television Transmission Stations in Operation – North Island". Kordia.

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