Sad Aucklanders trek to summit

By BERNARD ORSMAN

Under a grim sky at nightfall people file up One Tree Hill as if it is a shrine to a lost icon.

An icy blast at the summit one week after the lone pine vanished is no deterrent to mourners who gaze, touch and walk round the boundary of the stump, 4m in circumference.

Brian Thomas, aged 48, grew up when One Tree Hill was a misnomer - two pines dominated the summit. Once again One Tree Hill is a misnomer, and the Aucklander feels sad and angry.

The October 1994 chainsaw attack on the tree by Maori activist Mike Smith, which brought it an early death, was a stupid piece of vandalism, he says.

"It wasn't his tree to cut down. He was not even an Aucklander or an Auckland Maori."

Mr Thomas would like to see a totara replace the Monterey pine, saying that was what Sir John Logan-Campbell tried to plant with five pines for shelter and because a totara has a spiritual meaning for Maori.

Nearby, Hui Zhung clings to his partner, Le Niu, to keep warm. He has just returned from 10 days in China and missed the sudden decision to fell the pine.

"Now there is no tree. We feel sad. The healing is only now," say the pair, who have lived in Auckland for five years. In that time they have visited the summit several times and became fond of the Auckland symbol.

"We need another tree here. Maybe a pine like before. I hope the council get another tree and soon," says Le Niu.

Cameron Parr, the Auckland City Council parks officer who made the final decision to fell the tree nine days ago, says it will be next July at the earliest before another tree can be planted.

He says the council needs a resource consent to plant a replacement.

Talks have begun with iwi and other interested parties to ensure that they are comfortable with the process.

It will take until February to prepare the resource consent and then the public will have three months to make submissions, Mr Parr says. Provided everything goes smoothly and there are no appeals to the Environment Court, a new tree could be planted by July.

Otherwise it will be put off until 2002, or later, because the planting season on the extreme environment at the summit of One Tree Hill is limited to the winter months.

"It is important that when we do the new planting we involve people," Mr Parr says. "With the removal we had to move quickly because of safety issues. It's a new beginning, so let's make it significant in terms of people feeling part of it."

Of the nearly 500 people who sent their comments about the tree to the Weekend Herald, most wanted to see the pine replaced as soon as possible. The favoured replacement was a pohutukawa, with suggestions that the five self-seeded pohutukawa removed from the trunk of the pine be used. The seedlings, no bigger than a hand, would need to grow to at least one metre before they could be strong enough to survive.

Other respondents favoured a totara, another Monterey pine and numerous ideas came in for a sculpture.

The Weekend Herald thanks everyone who responded with feedback, particularly the children of Browns Bay School, St Joseph's School in Onehunga, Takapuna Grammar School and Pigeon Mountain Primary School in Half Moon Bay, who sent in suggestions and projects on the tree.

Mikayla Fairweather, aged 10, of Browns Bay School, wrote: "I am speaking on behalf of the tree. As there was pohutukawa tree shoots at the bottom of the pine on One Tree Hill, I believe there should be a pohutukawa tree there to replace it because nature would like a pohutukawa.

"I also believe that because it's the New Zealand Christmas tree and it would flower around the time the other tree came down."

Herald Online feature: Tree on the Hill

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Should we replace the tree on One Tree Hill?

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