The former Mt Eden train station is being enlarged and re-developed.
The redeveloped Maungawhau Station includes a new modern station building with elevated views of Maungawhau (Mount Eden) and new and upgraded platforms for the City Rail Link (CRL) line and existing Western Line.
When complete, Maungawhau Station will become a busy rail junction for passengers travelling to and from the city centre or connecting to other services.
The main access to the new station will be from Ruru Street, with additional access for pedestrians and cyclists from Mount Eden Road, connecting the station to active and public transport routes nearby.
Other planned layout changes, including an extension of Flower and Korari Streets and access to Ruru Street via the new Fenton Street Bridge, will also improve connectivity within the local area.
The station will not include car parking facilities, but bike parking will be available, and Ruru Street will be extended to create an easily-accessible pick-up and drop-off zone for private vehicles, taxis, and rideshare services.
The redeveloped station and transport connections will form the foundations of future transformation of the surrounding area, led by Eke Panuku Development Auckland. Following construction, there is the potential for more than 100,000sqm of residential and commercial development surrounding the station.
The station design
Since its inception, the City Rail Link project has integrated te ao Māori (Māori worldview) values, stories, and perspectives, working closely and collaboratively with eight iwi groups.
Our design approach reflects the ongoing partnership with mana whenua. Quintessentially Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland), station names and designs are unique expressions of local stories and history and evoke both people and place.
Te Ao Marama, the Māori Creation Narrative of the natural world emerging from the nothingness of Te Kore and the darkness Te Pō spans all CRL station designs.
Ancestral atua (deities) Ranginui (Sky Father), and Papatūānuku (Earth Mother), are expressed in each stations sky and earth “elements,” forming the overall design theme for the CRL project.
At Maungawhau Station, four separate design elements combine to tell the story. See the video above to hear from Tessa Harris, nominated iwi artist, and Gillian Hatch, architectural lead.
They have worked together with mana whenua to integrate this narrative into the station design, all within the technical constraints of the station.
The result will be a stunning station building that reflects the cultural and historical context of the surrounding area to be used and enjoyed by future generations.
Click on the images for a larger version
The gifted name Maungawhau
He kākano ahau i ruia mai i Rangiātea, e kore au e ngaro (I am a sacred seed, and I will never be lost)
The gifted name Maungawhau literally translates to mountain (maunga) of cork tree (whau). The whau tree was used for fishing floats and medicinal purposes.
The station’s entrance concourse wall is patterned precast concrete from floor to ceiling with basalt inserts. The giant wall design references the atua (deity) Matāoho, the creator of the basalt volcanic field here in Tāmaki Makaurau. The 53 lava-coloured, cast glass triangles are organised to represent a map of these volcanic cones.
The large main triangle is created from Maungawhau basalt and has water flowing over the surface of this section of the wall. This references Maungawhau, the basalt caverns, caves and water springs below ground. It pays respect to Parawhenuamea (atua of freshwater) and how freshwater needs kōhatu (rock) to flow. This narrative will continue with the designs on the external paved area.
And the creation story is reflected in the basalt stone clad ‘earth element’ , representing Papatūānuku, Earth Mother and the aluminium faced treatment representing Ranginui, Sky Father- with the narrative leading this design, the tears of Ranginui.
New Zealand Geographic Board Ngā Pou Taunaha o Aotearoa names railway stations and invited the public to make a submission on proposals for the names of the City Rail Link stations. These proposals were open for public submissions until 9 November 2022. The decision was announced on 16 March 2023. Read their decision.
