I found myself in New Zealand last month, mainly due to a spontaneous urge to go far away, as well as to celebrate my dear friend’s 50th birthday. I have become extremely fond of an old volcanic island in Auckland named One Tree Hill. It really did previously have one tree, but was a victim of a couple of chainsaw attacks. Only the name remains.
While on U2’s 1984 Unforgettable Fire Tour in New Zealand, Bono met a Maori man named Greg Carroll who took him to this special hill on his first night in the country. One Tree Hill (Maungakiekie) is one of the highest, and more spiritually significant to Maori people, of Auckland’s largest volcanoes.
A year later, while running an errand for the band, Greg was killed in a motorcycle accident. Bono dedicated the album The Joshua Tree, as well as the song One Tree Hill, to his dear friend.
We took Uber to the park entrance on the southern side of the hill and followed a scenic road that gradually got steeper. The cows were enjoying the early spring grass.
This was truly an amazing 360 degree view of Auckland’s skyline!
There are several other volcanic hills visible from this vantage point!
At the summit is the grave of John Logan Campbell, who gifted the land to the city in 1901 and requested that a memorial be built to the Maori people on the summit. Nearby is the stump of the last ‘one tree’.
It wasn’t until I returned home that I began to fully appreciate the significance of One Tree Hill and powerful lyrics of the song dedicated to Greg Carroll.
Here are the lyrics:
“We turn away to face the cold, enduring chill / As the day begs the night for mercy, love.
A sun so bright it leaves no shadows / Only scars carved into stone on the face of the earth.
The moon is up and over One Tree Hill / We see the sun go down in your eyes.
You run like a river on to the sea / You run like a river runs to the sea.
And in the world, a heart of darkness, a fire-zone / Where poets speak their heart then bleed for it.
Jara sang, his song a weapon in the hands of love. / You know his blood still cries from the ground.
It runs like a river runs to the sea. / It runs like a river to the sea.
I don’t believe in painted roses or bleeding hears / While bullets rape the night of the merciful.
I’ll see you again when the stars fall from the sky / And the moon has turned red over One Tree Hill.
We run like a river runs to the sea / We run like a river to the sea.
And when it’s rainin’, rainin’ hard / That’s when the rain will break a heart.
Rainin’, rainin’ in your heart / Rainin’ in your heart. / Rainin’ rain into your heart / Rainin’, rainin’, rainin’ / Rain into your heart. Rainin’, ooh, rain into your heart, yeah./ Feel it.
Oh great ocean / Oh great sea / Run to the ocean / Run to the sea.”
Hot Press editor Niall Stokes said, “it is a hymn of praise and celebration which described the traditional Maori burial of their friend on One Tree Hill and links it poetically with themes of renewal and redemption.”
Walking up this hill was a highlight of our day as we explored a wonderful new country and celebrated a birthday milestone. Learning about the significance of One Tree Hill made it all the more memorable.
epicrambler 