Auckland's One Tree Hill soon to be closed to cars

The Maungakiekie summit road has long been criticised as a narrow, unsafe road. Photo / Jason Oxenham

Work to pedestrianise the summit of One Tree Hill in Auckland is set to begin.

The Maungakiekie summit road, which is extremely narrow in places, has long been criticised as one of the most unsafe roads for visitors to Auckland, with pedestrians, cyclists and vehicles all competing for space. Near misses are regularly reported.

From March 26, work will start on reconfiguring the summit road entrance off Olive Grove and installing a new automated gate. The work will take four to six weeks to complete.

When finished, the Auckland landmark will permanently close to all motor vehicles including motorbikes and scooters.

The Tūpuna Maunga Authority, which owns and manages the area, says access will be closed to all motor vehicles with the exception for those who have limited mobility. They or their drivers can phone the council's call centre to obtain a gate access code.

One Tree Hill, immortalised in a U2 song, has had a chequered past. For many years, a lone pine stood on the cone - but this has been a bone of contention.

Settlers reportedly cut down the first native tree at the summit in the 1850s.

Sir John Logan Campbell replanted a grove of totara and pine trees in the 1870s but only one Monterey pine at the summit survived.

In 1994, Maori activist Mike Smith took a chainsaw to the pine out of frustration over the Government limiting Maori Treaty settlements to $1 billion.

Relatives of Smith's later attacked the tree with a chainsaw in 1999.

The chainsaw used in the first attack was put up for sale on auction site Trade Me in 2007, but later withdrawn after complaints, and the rotting remains of the Monterey pine were put on Trade Me in 2014 before the seller was charged with theft.

- NZN