Holmes puts yet another tree on summit

A planting spree on One Tree Hill has drawn a swift reaction from the Auckland City Council, which is still waiting for Ngati Whatua's okay to replace the lone pine removed more than four years ago.

A pohutakawa that appeared on the summit at the weekend was vandalised within a day and the council has promised to promptly remove another rogue tree Paul Holmes planted as he launched his show on Prime Television last night.

A spokeswoman for the council said the 2m-high pohutukawa Holmes planted would "absolutely" be removed.

After the first tree appeared at the weekend, Auckland City Mayor Dick Hubbard vowed to have new trees planted by this time next year.

It has been more than four years since the Monterey pine atop One Tree Hill, which suffered chainsaw attacks in 1994 and 1999, was finally removed by the council.

The hold-up in replacing it has attracted criticism, but the council says it has an agreement with Ngati Whatua that replanting will be delayed until the tribe settles its Treaty of Waitangi claims.

Yesterday, Mr Hubbard said he wanted nine trees - six pohutukawa and three totara that are ready for planting - in the ground by next Waitangi Day.

"Sadly the summit of One Tree Hill has been the site of numerous protests and attacks for the last 150-odd years," he said.

"The planned new native plantings will recognise the history of the mountain and symbolise a new beginning.

"I am going to do everything I can as Mayor of Auckland to ensure young trees are planted before Waitangi Day next year."

The first tree planted on the summit at the weekend was vandalised shortly afterwards.

Council workers arrived to remove it and found it snapped in half.

Planting a tree on One Tree Hill is a breach of Auckland City's district plan.

This states that only the council is permitted to plant trees at the site.

Planting a grove of trees is thought to be the best way of ensuring at least one survives the harsh environmental conditions on the summit, including strong winds.

* From early in the 17th century until the mid-1850s a lone, sacred totara occupied the summit until a settler chopped it down for fencing or firewood. Photographs from early last century show three trees. Two pines survived until one was destroyed in 1962.