Ruaotuwhenua, along with the Scenic Drive ridge, are the remnants of one of the eastern sides of the Waitākere Volcano, a Miocene era volcanic crater complex which was uplifted from the seafloor between 3 and 5 million years ago.

[7] "Rua ō Te Whenua" literally means "the rumble of the earth", and is likely a reference to the roaring sound of the surf which travels along the Nihotupu Valley.

[7] The story involves Nihotupu, a tūrehu (supernatural being) who lived in a cave at Ruaotuwhenua, who kidnapped Panuku's wife Parekura.

[7][8] The hill was regarded as the highest point of the Waitākere Ranges until the early 1940s, when city waterworks engineer AD Mead located and measured the height of Te Toiokawharu.

[9][10] In the late 1960s, a radome and VHF transmission station was constructed on the hill, providing radio monitoring for Auckland Airport.