Mount Roskill is often mentioned as a place that once accounted for a volcanic peak.
The peak, located at the southwest end of the suburb, was 110 metres high and is one of the many extinct cones which dot the isthmus of Auckland, all of which are part of the Auckland Volcanic Field.
Mt Roskill, just seven kilometres to the south of the city centre, neighbours Three Kings, Sandringham, Wesley, Hillsborough and Mt Albert.
One of the city’s larger suburbs, it was largely farmland until after World War II.
It was a separate borough from 1947 until local government reorganisation in 1989 amalgamated it with Auckland City.
Mt. Roskill is sometimes referred to as the Bible Belt of Auckland.
A Bible Belt is an area in which Christian Evangelical Protestantism is a pervasive or dominant part of the culture.
In particular, in the US, it is the region where the Southern Baptist Convention denomination is strongest. It includes the entire South and nearby areas.
Bible belts can also be found in other countries, including Canada and some parts of Europe. The name is derived from the heavy emphasis on the Bible in Evangelical denominations.
But times have changed.
Today, Mt Roskill accounts for a broad spectrum of people conforming to various ethnicities and faiths.
An Islamic Centre, catering to the growing Muslim population is among the proud features of the area.
Sometimes referred as ‘Little India,’ a title which some say belongs to the neighbouring Sandringham, Mt Roskill comes alive every day with a host of commercial activities and with the main depot of a major passenger transport company, it also witnesses heavy traffic seven days a week.
Stoddard Road in Mt Roskill is a vibrant part of the area, accommodating a host of retail outlets, marketing an ever growing range of consumer products.
This feature captures some of them.
Source: Wikipedia Encyclopedia
