Pre-European Aotearoa was extensively populated. Archaeologists estimate Māori built more than six thousand pā (fortified settlements) across the country between roughly 1500 and 1820. Most are now invisible in the landscape — terraces softened by farming, ditches obscured by bush. But around the country, a number of major pā sites have been preserved, opened to visitors, and interpreted with the active involvement of mana whenua iwi.
This map shows 16 of the most significant publicly accessible heritage pā sites in New Zealand — the volcanic-cone pā of Auckland (Maungawhau, Maungakiekie, Maungauika), the great defensive complexes of the NZ Wars (Ruapekapeka, Gate Pā), the early-settlement archaeology of Wairau Bar, and the layered heritage sites where pre-European pā coexist with Victorian forts and modern conservation areas. All are sites with iwi-approved interpretation; respectful behaviour is expected on all of them.
Many of these sites are urupā (burial grounds) as well as defensive earthworks. Visitors should treat them as heritage equivalent to colonial-era cemeteries: walking on tracks, following any iwi-posted protocols, and recognising that for the iwi who maintain ahi kā at these sites, the pā is not ‘archaeology’ — it is the continuing story of the people who built it.
A note on visiting: All pā sites mapped here have iwi-approved public access and interpretation. Visitors are asked to stay on marked tracks, follow any posted protocols, and recognise that these are heritage sites equivalent to cemeteries — many are urupā (burial grounds). Photographing graves and unsignalled features is generally not OK; landscape photos are. If iwi staff are present, defer to their guidance.
Heritage sites mapped
16
Public access
16
NZ Wars battle sites
3
Auckland volcanic cones
3
Click any pā site on the map for the iwi affiliation, peak period, and the heritage story.
Defensive earthwork pā
Hilltop and headland pā with their characteristic terracing, defensive ditches, palisade post-holes and storage pits still visible in the landscape. The Auckland volcanic cones are the most-visited; smaller examples are scattered around the country.
- Maungakiekie / One Tree HillMaungakiekie was the most extensive and densely-populated pā in pre-European Auckland — researchers estimate 4,000-5,000 people may have lived on or near the maunga at peak. The terracing visible across all sides of the cone is among the most-studied archaeology in the country. The site sits within Cornwall Park, gifted by Sir John Logan Campbell to the people of Auckland in 1901 (a gesture that included contested Māori land tenure questions). Co-managed by Tūpuna Maunga Authority since the 2014 Tāmaki Collective Treaty settlement. Free public access.
- Maungauika / North Head (Devonport)Maungauika / North Head sits at the entrance to Waitematā Harbour. Originally a fortified pā guarding the harbour entrance — the strategic location is obvious from the summit, which dominates the approach. From 1885 the Crown built progressive fortifications: an Armstrong Disappearing Gun (1888, response to the Russian Scare), then WW1 reserves, then WW2 anti-aircraft installations. The complex of layered fortifications is unusual; the historical sequence is part of the site’s interpretation. Tūpuna Maunga Authority co-manages.
- Maungawhau / Mt EdenMaungawhau / Mt Eden is the most-visited pā site in NZ. The 196m volcanic cone was extensively modified in pre-European times — terraces, kūmara storage pits, and defensive ditches are visible across the slopes. The summit cone at the top is a tihi (the ceremonial high point). The site is now co-managed by the Tūpuna Maunga Authority, a body that brings together 13 Tāmaki Makaurau mana whenua iwi alongside Auckland Council. Vehicle access to the summit was closed in 2016 in response to maunga-protection concerns; walking-only since.
- Pukekura (Taiaroa Head)Pukekura at Taiaroa Head was the most-strategic Kāi Tahu pā in the Otago region — controlling the harbour entrance with line-of-sight north and south along the coast. The Royal Albatross Centre’s combined site interpretation now covers the pā, the 1880s Armstrong Disappearing Gun fort (Russian Scare period), the 1865 lighthouse, and the natural mainland albatross colony. All four heritage layers are interpreted in the visitor experience.
- Taputeranga (Island Bay)Taputeranga is the small island that gives Island Bay its English name. It was a defensive Te Āti Awa pā — accessible by canoe but not easily by force from land. Now within the 2008 Taputeranga Marine Reserve which was specifically named to acknowledge the iwi heritage of the site. Visible from the Island Bay coastal road; the marine reserve frontage means the immediate water around the pā is fully protected.
- Te Hoiere / Pelorus Bridge areaTe Hoiere / Pelorus River was a major Rangitāne river system, with multiple pā sites along its length. The Pelorus Bridge Scenic Reserve is the easiest public access point; the walking tracks pass close to several heritage sites with iwi-approved interpretation.
- Te Wherowhero (Mahia)The Mahia Peninsula is rich in pā sites, with multiple defended hilltop sites visible from public walking tracks. Te Wherowhero is the most-prominent. Rongomaiwahine maintain ahi kā (the burning fires of occupation) on the peninsula and several sites have iwi interpretation.
- Ōkains Bay (Banks Peninsula)Ōkains Bay on Banks Peninsula has multiple Ngāi Tahu pā sites — coastal locations chosen for fishing, defence and trading. The adjacent Ōkains Bay Māori and Colonial Museum is among the country’s best regional museums for displaying pre-European material in cultural context. Ngāi Tahu interpretation throughout.
- Ōtatara PāŌtatara is the largest pā site in Hawke’s Bay, with extensive terracing visible across the hills above Taradale. The sequence of defensive earthworks across multiple ridges suggests a major settlement that was occupied over centuries. The reserve is co-managed by DOC and Hastings District Council with iwi (Ngāti Kahungunu) input. Walking tracks cross the site with interpretation panels at key viewpoints.
- Ōtuihu PāŌtuihu was the pā of Pomare II, one of the most prominent Ngāpuhi rangatira of the 1820s-30s and a 1840 Treaty signatory. The defensive earthworks remain visible. Heritage NZ Category 1 designation.
NZ Wars battle sites
Sites where pā were the focus of NZ Wars battles in the 1840s-60s. Ruapekapeka and Gate Pā in particular show pre-modern Māori military innovation against British artillery.
- Gate Pā / PukehinahinaPukehinahina (renamed Gate Pā by British forces) was the site of the second Tauranga battle of the NZ Wars, April 1864. Rāwiri Puhirake’s tactical brilliance — anti-projectile trenches similar to Ruapekapeka, prepared escape lines, false embrasures — defeated a much larger British force after sustained bombardment. The Māori code of treatment of the British wounded after the battle (including providing water under fire) became a documented example of NZ Wars Māori chivalry. The site is now a small reserve with interpretation panels in suburban Tauranga.
- Matakitaki PāThe 1822 Battle of Matakitaki was a turning point of the Musket Wars. Hongi Hika’s forces had returned from a 1820 trip to England with several hundred muskets — a technology Waikato did not yet have. The result at Matakitaki was a one-sided massacre with thousands killed. The battle drove the Musket Wars to their peak intensity through the 1820s and helped trigger Waikato’s own subsequent musket acquisition. The pā site is on private land but the historic location is interpreted at nearby reserve walking tracks.
- Ruapekapeka PāRuapekapeka — the Bat’s Nest — was the most sophisticated defensive earthwork built in NZ before the 20th century. Te Ruki Kawiti’s design featured anti-projectile trenches and underground refuges that allowed Māori defenders to survive sustained British artillery bombardment. The January 1846 battle ended in tactical British capture but strategic Ngāpuhi withdrawal — and the war ended without a Crown victory. The trench-warfare innovations at Ruapekapeka have been cited by military historians as predating European trench warfare by 70 years. DOC interpretation panels explain the layout.
Early settlement archaeology
Wairau Bar dates to the founding period of Aotearoa Māori culture (13th-14th century). Among NZ’s most important archaeological sites globally.
- Wairau Bar (Boulder Bank)The Wairau Bar archaeological site is among the earliest documented Polynesian settlements in NZ. Radiocarbon dating places occupation at the 13th-14th century — within the founding period of Aotearoa Māori culture, when ancestral Polynesian voyaging populations were transitioning to the new environment. The site has yielded artefacts that connect directly to East Polynesian cultural origins. Rangitāne are kaitiaki (guardians) of the site and any interpretation respects their primary authority. Public viewing is restricted in most of the area; the immediate Boulder Bank reserve has limited interpretation panels.
Buried village (volcanic eruption)
Te Wairoa was buried by the 1886 Tarawera eruption — preserved by ash, excavated through the 20th century, now a heritage tourism site.
- Tarawera (Te Wairoa village)Te Wairoa was a Tūhourangi village that had become a major 1880s tourism centre — the staging point for visits to the Pink and White Terraces, then the most-photographed sights in the country. The Tarawera eruption on 10 June 1886 buried the village under volcanic ash and mud, killing 153 people. The terraces themselves were destroyed. Te Wairoa was excavated through the 20th century and is now a heritage tourism site (privately owned and operated). The settlement’s pre-eruption marae and post-eruption excavated buildings can both be seen.
Pre-European settlement archaeology
Pre-European occupation traces beyond the defensive earthwork pā — including the unusual ash-preserved footprints on Motutapu Island.
- Motutapu Island heritage sitesMotutapu Island in the inner Hauraki Gulf has some of NZ’s most-studied pre-European archaeology. The pre-European Māori footprints captured in volcanic ash from the Rangitoto eruption (~600 years ago) are an unusually direct material trace of pre-contact occupation. Multiple pā sites across the island. The walking-track network from Rangitoto wharf passes interpretation panels with Ngāi Tai narrative.
Related tools and reading
- NZ Treaty of Waitangi Settlements — many pā sites are part of cultural redress in iwi settlements.
- NZ Conservation Areas — many pā sit within conservation reserves.
- NZ National Parks Explorer
- NZ Lighthouses Explorer — Taiaroa Head shows pā + fort + lighthouse layered on one site.
- Heritage NZ Pouhere Taonga — the official register (external).
- All Newswire data tools