Mount Grey (officially Mount Grey / Maukatere) is a 934-metre (3,065 ft) mountain 15 kilometres (9.3 miles) west of Amberley in New Zealand.[3] It is named after Sir George Grey who was governor of New Zealand when English surveyors climbed it in 1849.[4] In Te Reo Māori, the mountain is called Maukatere, 'floating mountain', from where the spirits of the dead leave on the long journey to Cape Reinga.[2]

Mount Grey / Maukatere
Image a mountain from a nearby hill on an overcast day, with a view over the city of Christchurch in the background
Mount Grey / Maukatere, looking towards Christchurch
Highest point
Elevation933 m (3,061 ft)[1]
Coordinates43°07′02″S 172°32′51″E / 43.117316°S 172.547586°E / -43.117316; 172.547586
Naming
EtymologyNamed for George Grey, and from Ngāi Tahu Māori for floating mountain[2]
Native nameMaukatere (Māori)
English translationFloating mountain
Defining authorityNew Zealand Geographic Board
Geography
Mount Grey / Maukatere is located in New Zealand
Mount Grey / Maukatere
Mount Grey / Maukatere
Location in New Zealand
CountryNew Zealand
RegionCanterbury
Climbing
AccessMt Grey Track, Red Beach Track

Maukatere is a significant mountain for the Kaiapoi-based Ngāi Tūāhuriri, a hapū (subtribe) of Ngāi Tahu.[5] Maukatere marked the inland boundary of the Crown purchase of the Canterbury and Otago area recorded in "Kemp's Deed" in 1848.[6]

In 1998, the Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998 changed the official name of the mountain to Mount Grey / Maukatere.[7][4]

References

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  1. ^ "Place name detail: 21 November 2021". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board.
  2. ^ a b "Mount Grey/Maukatere Conservation Area". www.doc.govt.nz. Department of Conservation Te Papa Atawhai. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  3. ^ "Mt Grey/Maungatere walking tracks". Department of Conservation.
  4. ^ a b "Place name detail: Mount Grey/Maukatere". New Zealand Gazetteer. New Zealand Geographic Board. Retrieved 18 July 2022.
  5. ^ "Atlas — Cultural Mapping Project — Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu". www.kahurumanu.co.nz. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. ^ "Protecting Ngai Tahu History — Cultural Mapping Project — Te Rūnanga o Ngāi Tahu". www.kahurumanu.co.nz. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Ngāi Tahu Claims Settlement Act 1998" (pdf). Parliamentary Counsel Office.