Maungatua
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Maungatua, known also as Mauka Atua is a prominent ridge in the Taieri Plains in Otago, New Zealand.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
It rises Template:Convert above the floodplain of the Taieri River, directly to the west of Dunedin's airport at Momona. It can be clearly seen from much of Dunedin's urban area, Template:Convert, and from as far south as the outskirts of Balclutha, Template:Convert to the southwest. Lake Mahinerangi is located on the western side of Maungatua.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite web</ref>
The name Maungatua in Māori literally means "Hill of the Spirits",<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and is spelt Mauka Atua by Ngāi Tahu local to the Otago Region. The name is a reference to an ancestral chief who arrived on the Āraiteuru migratory waka.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Ecology of Maungatua
Maungatua features a diverse range of plant species. The summit features tussock grassland and cushion bogs, whilst the sub-alpine zone includes shrubland and tussock grasslands.<ref name=":0" /> Carnivorous insect eating plants called sundews are found within swamps at the summit.Template:Citation needed Silver beech dominates the montane slopes, particularly on the southern face.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref> This transitions to lowland podocarp forest which extends into the Waipori Gorge.<ref name=":1" /> This includes a mixture of broadleaf and kānuka forest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In addition, the only naturally occurring kāmahi in the Dunedin area are found in the southern Maungatua in Mill Creek.<ref name=":0" /> Glowworms may also be found living in mānuka trees at the base of Maungatua.Template:Citation needed