In addition to a 10- to 20-minute scenic walk to the summit, Mt. Victoria offers local culture and history as a former Maori pā, or fortified village (identifiable throughout New Zealand as hills with grassed-over terraces on their slopes). European settlers later developed the fortifications on the site in readiness for an invasion from Russia; the disappearing gun at the summit is one of the few examples of this obsolete artillery left in the world.
Visitors to Mt. Victoria Reserve often come on a day trip from elsewhere in Auckland. Devonport can be reached independently by ferry from central Auckland. Popular tours of the area include nighttime tours, tours of Auckland’s volcanoes, and historical tours.