I am thinking particularly of Paritutu rock in New Plymouth. Paritutu is what remains of the rim of an ancient volcano. It is 153m tall and its steep surface can be climbed in about 30 minutes (there and back). At the summit, climbers can experience vast and breathtaking views of New Plymouth and Mount Taranaki, and the Taranaki Region.
Paritutu and the land surrounding it was once occupied by Maori who used it as a source for food, water and shelter. Other similar mounds of rock in the same area, called the Sugar Loaf Islands, were used in a similar manner and as a result, villages formed around Paritutu and the Islands.
Paritutu was discovered by Europeans in 1770 and just over 100 years later, the leading men of New Plymouth proposed to blow up Paritutu and use its rock for a breakwater at the port. The breakwater would encourage trade in New Plymouth as ships could easily sail into and dock at the harbour. Despite protests, workers went ahead with plans to make quick use of the ancient landmark. Only a small amount of stone was quarried from Paritutu as the explosion was largely unsuccessful. It was decided that Paritutu would not provide the necessary amount of stone needed for the project and the breakwater was made with the rock of one of the Sugar Loaf Islands.
Paritutu re
mains today, only slightly marred by the human interference of the 1870s. An even bigger travesty, however, is that Paritutu's story, an important part of New Plymouth and Taranaki history, remains relatively unknown. Neither the summit nor the base showcase any sort of information regarding Paritutu and its surrounding Sugar Loaf Islands. New Plymouth's museum, Puke Ariki, has a brief history online as part of its Taranaki Stories initiative but considering Paritutu stands so proud and tall at the city's port, it deserves a little more public history.
