This cache is a small sistema containing the usual log book, a couple of swaps, etc, plus some important information that will help you complete the AMJC cache series.
History of the Hill
One Tree Hill, or Maungakiekie, housed a thriving community for approximately 900 years. It was the scene of successive conquests and occupations and much of the maunga (hill) became developed and fortified over time by the various tribes which lived there.
An ancient totara, said to have been planted in the early 1600s, once graced the summit of One Tree Hill. The significance of the planting relates to the legend of a woman of noble heritage giving birth to a male child. The totara is said to have thrived, and became known as 'Te Totara I ahua' (the Totara that stands alone).
A period of conflict between warring tribes during the later 18th and early 19th centuries depopulated the Auckland isthmus, and in the early 1820s Maungakiekie was abandoned.
Sir John Logan Campbell named the maunga One Tree Hill in 1840. The early period of development of Auckland (between 1845 and 1870) saw many dealings in land between various individuals and the colonial authorities of the time, involving Governor Sir George Grey. In 1845, Maungakiekie and the surrounding land were purchased from local Maori by a property speculator named Thomas Henry. The land was designated a public domain in 1886 under the One Tree Hill Reserve Act.
In 1852, the great totara was tragically destroyed. Popular belief is that the tree was vandalised by a party of European workmen as a form of protest. Successive attempts were made to re-establish a tree on the summit. Sir John Logan Campbell planted a group of five Pinus radiata to shelter native trees during the 1870s but only the pines survived.
Sir John Logan Campbell requested in his will that a monument be built to commemorate the Maori people who were thought to be a dying race. The obelisk was completed in 1947. Unfortunately, the obelisk and the pine tree are seen by many people as symbols of European dominance and oppression. In August 1962, the maunga literally became One Tree Hill again. The second to last pine was vandalised and had to be felled.
Other acts of vandalism include a reported attempt during the 1970s to blow up the existing tree using explosives. In 1988, Cyclone Bola further damaged the tree, and some limbs had to be removed.
Attacks on the Tree
In October 1994, the police arrested an activist at the summit following an attempt to fell the tree. The attacker made numerous small cuts which ranged between 10cm and 42cm deep. Although only 28 percent of the trunk circumference was left undamaged, there was still enough sound wood left for the tree to survive. The decision was made to retain the tree, and political support and funding were obtained. A cabling system was erected to allow natural movement of the tree, while stopping it from reaching breaking point in extreme wind conditions.
In 1998 a number of other protests on the summit of One Tree Hill occurred, including the planting of other trees, but not with the intention of damaging the existing tree.
A family of activists carried out a further protest by attempting to fell the One Tree Hill pine in September 1999. The damage included cuts up to 28cm deep in an area not damaged by the 1994 chainsaw attack. Approximately 45 percent of the trunk cross section and 88 percent of the trunk circumference were severed and the life expectancy of the tree was estimated to be only three years.
By October 2000, the pine had become unstable and was a danger to the public. After careful study of the condition of the tree, it was found to be no longer viable and the decision was made to take it down. The felling operation was successfully carried out on October 26 amid much media attention.
And then there was no tree.
This Cache
This hide should not prove to be very difficult for the average geocacher, but be aware that satellite reception is hindered slightly by tree cover, so you might look around a bit before spotting the hide.
Please ensure the cache is covered well when you rehide it.
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Auckland Mega Jigsaw Challenge
This is one of the caches in the Auckland Mega Jigsaw Challenge series. The challenge is to find a series of caches and retrieve jigsaw pieces, and then race to find the final cache. To find the final cache you will first need to find all of the jigsaw pieces and assemble them together to reveal its coordinates.
The jigsaw pieces are all located in geocaches placed in the greater Auckland area. The jigsaw pieces for this cache are obtained as per the following instructions:
Inside the cache logbook there is an 8 character code. This code will give you the jigsaw pieces from this cache by entering it into the following URL:
http://www.funkymunkyzone.com/geo/AMJC/????????.jpg
Enter the code in place of the ?s. Note that the code is case sensitive. |
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kiwicouple
