Woke up to a cold second day in New Zealand.
My close friend Shellah, Kuya Nowell’s sister, lives in another town. But she stayed with us for one more day so we can go see a 360 degrees view of Auckland.

I felt so welcomed!
Stopover at the mall for coffee and milking cows. 😛

ONE TREE HILL (Maungakiekie)

“The second-largest of the 46 volcanoes that dot the Auckland landscape, Maungakiekie was once the site of a massive pā (fortified village), home to several thousand people. By the time of European settlement the pā had been abandoned, and a single tōtara tree grew on the summit. This was later replaced by a single Monterey pine, and Maungakiekie became known as One Tree Hill.” – https://www.freewalks.nz

The top gives you a view of the whole Auckland area with its harbours.

Like many hills in Auckland, Maungakiekie is a volcanic one. I was told that the spot below me (with the rocks forming words made by visitors), is actually one of its 3 craters. It’s dormant so don’t panic!

On the summit of the hill is an obelisk and a bronze statue of a Māori warrior.

“This monument was erected in accordance with the will of the late Sir John Logan Campbell who visualized and desired that a towering obelisk should be erected on this site, the summit of Maungakiekie as a permanent record of his admiration for the achievements and character of the great Maori people.”

There used to be a tree at the top of the hill, beside this monument, but because of activists’ attacks, it has been cut down. That’s why some people call it “No Tree Hill”.
“In 1994, Māori activist Mike Smith attacked the Monterey Pine on the top of Maungakiekie with a chainsaw. Some Māori felt that a pine tree, as a non-native plant, was inappropriate for a place of such importance to Māori. There was another chainsaw attack in 1999 and two years later the tree was removed as it had become unsafe as a result of the attacks.” – https://nzhistory.govt.nz

We rode a car up the hill to get to its peak then walked down to get more photos.

I have seen cities of different countries from their highest peaks. I have seen lands from towering mountains and cliffs. I have visited the tallest skyscraper in the world. But I felt something different that day.

A tree may be missing on this hill, but standing by its stump and looking down at the city below me, a seed of something was planted in my heart.

Something good is going to happen. ❤