Walk 38, Cornwall Park, 22nd August 2020
Cornwall Park in late winter / early spring. The daffodils are out and the lambs are here. This is a working farm that surrounds One Tree Hill in Auckland City. It was gifted to the people of NZ by Sir Logan Campbell who is buried by the obelisk on the hill. This walk is with my husband and friend when we went to Auckland ciity during level 3 lock down.
The park was only half open, and the only vehicle we saw was security.
While in the park I went to see the Rongo Stone which originally came from Te Arai and belonged to an earlier race of Maori or Mauriori. It had been abandoned and Sir Logan Campbell rescued it.
History of the park: John Logan Campbell, Auckland resident since 1840 gave the park’s 230 acres to a private trust on 10 June 1901. The adjoining Park Maungakiekie had been purchased by the national government in 1845 and since 2012 belongs to Ngā Mana Whenua o Tāmaki Makaurau Collective. Source: Cornwall Park, Auckland
One Tree Hill‘ featured in a song by the band U2. The song was written in memory of NZ roadie Greg Carroll who became very close friends with lead singer Bono. Carroll was killed in July 1986 in a motorcycle accident in Dublin.
There are lava caves under Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill.
Auckland’s Volcanic Caves :
In June 1907 the One Tree Hill Domain Board gave newspapermen an opportunity to visit the lava caves under Maungakiekie, One Tree Hill. Accompanied by the benefactor who gave the parkland to Auckland, Sir John Logan Campbell, officials and the reporters went first to the southern (Onehunga) side of Cornwall Park reserve near where today Sorrento is situated.
NZShortWalks 