Mount Victoria, also known as Matairangi and colloquially as Mt Vic, is a prominent 196-metre (643 ft) hill immediately to the east of central Wellington, New Zealand.

One taniwha became stranded and died, and its spirit turned into a bird named Te Keo, which flew to the top of the mountain and mourned (tangi).

Wellington is completely commanded from this sublime birdseve view; the full extent of the valley of the Hutt, with its clustering tiers of lordly mountains, lies open to your ken.

It was, truly, a heavenly day.In 1901 Jessie Mackay, writing in the Otago Witness, gave a description in a poetic manner of the panoramic view from the summit by the Signal Station.

[14] The first event recorded on Mount Victoria was a running race from the summit to The New Zealander, Mr Jenkins public bar, on Te Aro Flat in January 1844.

A harrier club, the Wellington Beagles, in 1886 used the ridge from Kilibirnie to the top of Mount Victoria as part of their long distance run.

Those opposed saw it as a piecemeal cutting up of the reserve to exclusive interests while those in favour saw it as improving the area and opening it for other such sporting and recreational users.

The Mayor, J P Luke, stated in an October meeting that Mr Murdoch the City Engineer was reviewing a usage plan for 40 acres of the Town Belt.

[19] No further mention of the plan was made and in 1920 Councillors asked the Reserves Committee prepare a layout for the entire of Mount Victoria, including the road from Constable Street to the summit and a tennis court development.

[23] Frank Morton writing in the Manawatu Standard in 1909 described the wind on reaching the top of Mount Victoria on a particularly unpleasant day as being like.coming butt up against a very stalwart ox running full-speed down-hill.

[33][34] In 1898 a correspondent to the local paper suggested that a carriage road should be created from Kilbirnie to the signal station on Mount Victoria.

[35] Four years later, in 1902, The Wellington Tree Planting and Preservation Society approached the Council requesting a road be made to the top of Mount Victoria along the ridge from Constable Street to the Signal Station at the summit.

[41] By 1888 gorse had become a significant problem in the areas of Mount Victoria that were used for grazing prompting requests for it to be brought under control due to it being a fire hazard.

[47] The 1909 Mayoral election included a debate over planting and walking tracks on Mount Victoria between Dr Alfred Newman advocating them and some of the others suggesting it was a waste of time and that workers cottages should be built there instead.

[48][49] Dr Newman outlined a scheme to replant the whole of Mount Victoria, among other areas such as Tinakori Hill, as part of his platform.

[50] On 3 June Council requested 30 acres of Mount Victoria be planted in eucalyptus, acacias, and native trees in the vicinity behind the public hospital.

In July, for Arbor Day, students from Clyde Quay School planted trees behind Shannon Street on Mount Victoria.

[72] In September 1909 another field exercise took place on the Mount Victoria ridge during the night with companies of the Wellington Volunteers opposing one another.

Major-General Henry Schaw, CB (1829—1902), Royal Engineers, stated in a lecture on cities defense that Mount Victoria would be a strategic target for any such invading force.

[78] Nothing further was published until 1870 when the Wellington Independent reported that a drive of 100 feet had been driven in on the Evans Bay side of Mount Victoria in the hope of finding a gold bearing quartz reef.

[85] In April 1877 a suggestion was made by the Venerable Archdeacon Stock to place a time gun on Mount Victoria, to be managed by the keeper.

A gun, an old Royal Artillery 24 pounder, serial number 80399, from Fort Britomart, was shipped on the Stella to Wellington, arriving in October.

After much discussion during the year and various alternative proposals Council decided in November 1911 not to proceed with the tunnel and the Constable Street tram route extension to Kilbirnie.

The Association Chair suggested his scheme would cost £52,000 and that Morton's was underestimated by £20,000 as it did not allow for compensation to Wellington College for loss of land.

[153] In 1889 the Railways Department was considering putting a branch line from its Wellington Station across Te Aro flat to the base of Mount Victoria.

Mr J F Luke, with the support of the Mayor of Miramar, Charles J Crawford described the route as being from about Taranaki Street then by bridge across Clyde Quay and Roxborough Street with an 800 metre long tunnel through Mount Victoria under the Tram Tunnel and coming out near the Chinamen's gardens at Kilbirnie (near where the Church of the Latter Day Saints is located on Moxham Avenue, Hataitai).

[156] The proposal was expanded on in 1909 with the idea of making the Kilbirnie/Miramar a termination point for the North Island Main Trunk line instead of the area being reclaimed at Thorndon for that purpose.

[157] In May 1912 the Wellington Railway Extension and Improvement League was formed as a pressure group with the aim of having the Te Aro branch line put through Mount Victoria to service Kilbirnie and Miramar.

[160] The tunnel runs from Hospital Road, Newtown to Duncan Terrace, Kilbirnie crossing underground just inside of Mount Vicotria's then southern boundary.

Residents in the higher areas of Roseneath and Mount Victoria had been experiencing difficulties with the water supply especially when the occasional house fire broke out.