One Tree Hill a symbol of Auckland
May 31st 2010 23:29
Maungakiekie, or One Tree Hill, which sits in the beautiful, green acreage of Cornwall Park, is probably the most interesting of Auckland’s 48 crater mountains.
Until about 30 years ago it was instantly recognizable against the city skyline, for the lone pine that stood on its summit. Then, in the 1970s, the tree fell to the axe of Maori activist Mike Smith. It was a gesture which echoed his ancestor Hone Heke’s attack, on the flagpole which flew the Union Jack in the old colonial capital of Korareka, almost a century and half before. The tree was never replaced but its stump remains, as a reminder, and a symbol, of an era of protest which pushed Aotearoa New Zealand to re-examine, and begin to redress, the breaches of its founding document, the Treaty Waitangi.
More impressive than the pine tree ever was, and probably impervious to the axe too, the John Logan Campbell memorial commemorates the man who bequeathed Maungakiekie and the land that surrounds it to the people of Auckland. At the foot of a tall plinth is a plaque to Logan Campbell. Above it stands a Maori chief in a traditional korowai or cloak. The monument is an enduring symbol of the enormous mutual respect of Logan Campbell and the Maori people and of the partnership between Maori and Pakeha.
Since ancient times, Maori have gathered on Maungakiekie to welcome the Matariki or the Pleiades which appear in the sky in mid-winter, signaling the New Year in the Maramatanga or Maori calendar. Nowadays, the Matariki draws both Maori and Pakeha New Zealanders together for this unique celebration.
Maungakiekie’s fame was taken to the world by the poignant U2 song, written to commemorate the death of a Maori member of their crew. U2 fans and many U2 fans who visit Auckland make a pilgrimage to One Tree Hill to look out across the sea to Rangitoto, the volcanic island, named blood red sky.
Tour and stories courtesy of TIME Unlimited
Rangitoto, Island of the blood red sky from One Tree Hill
Until about 30 years ago it was instantly recognizable against the city skyline, for the lone pine that stood on its summit. Then, in the 1970s, the tree fell to the axe of Maori activist Mike Smith. It was a gesture which echoed his ancestor Hone Heke’s attack, on the flagpole which flew the Union Jack in the old colonial capital of Korareka, almost a century and half before. The tree was never replaced but its stump remains, as a reminder, and a symbol, of an era of protest which pushed Aotearoa New Zealand to re-examine, and begin to redress, the breaches of its founding document, the Treaty Waitangi.
The plaque at the foot of the John Logan Campbell Memorial
More impressive than the pine tree ever was, and probably impervious to the axe too, the John Logan Campbell memorial commemorates the man who bequeathed Maungakiekie and the land that surrounds it to the people of Auckland. At the foot of a tall plinth is a plaque to Logan Campbell. Above it stands a Maori chief in a traditional korowai or cloak. The monument is an enduring symbol of the enormous mutual respect of Logan Campbell and the Maori people and of the partnership between Maori and Pakeha.
Since ancient times, Maori have gathered on Maungakiekie to welcome the Matariki or the Pleiades which appear in the sky in mid-winter, signaling the New Year in the Maramatanga or Maori calendar. Nowadays, the Matariki draws both Maori and Pakeha New Zealanders together for this unique celebration.
Maungakiekie’s fame was taken to the world by the poignant U2 song, written to commemorate the death of a Maori member of their crew. U2 fans and many U2 fans who visit Auckland make a pilgrimage to One Tree Hill to look out across the sea to Rangitoto, the volcanic island, named blood red sky.
Tour and stories courtesy of TIME Unlimited
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