Albert Park lies beside the site of one of the earliest volcanoes in the Auckland volcanic field, which erupted beneath the current Victoria Street carparks and the 'Metropolis' hotel/apartments entrance building (the former Auckland District Court). While primarily a very small scoria cone, it also sent a lava flow into the Queen Street valley, and coated the pre-existing sandstone Albert Park ridge with ash (Albert Park is not itself the location of a volcano).