One Tree Hill

This is one of the isolated volcanic cones of which so many are seen on the Auckland Isthmus. Its slopes, spurs, peaks, and the interior of the crater have all been carved into residential terraces sufficient to accommodate thousands of people. These terraces are not continuous for any great distance even under the most favourable circumstances, and some are very short, providing accommodation for but a few huts. On the gentle slopes of the southern spur is a most interesting series of excavated terrace-like areas, none of which are extensive, and are divided from each other by scarps or parapets. page 314Here can be traced an old entrance passage which, in a distance of about 80 yards, passes through eight different levels, that is to say through eight different terrace like areas. This merely brings it to a levelled area on the top of the flank spur; it can be traced yet further up towards the crater.

As in all other examples of these volcanic cone forts in this district, as also those of the Taiamai district, the observer is struck by the great rarity of defensive works in the form of ramparts, parapets and fosses. The folk who dwelt in these hill forts evidently depended upon two main features as defensive works, scarps and stockades. The frontal defences consisted of steep scarps, surmounted by stockades, and the lateral defences were formed by breaking the level of the terraces so as to present a steep scarp which, when supplemented by a stockade, would be highly capable of defence. In some cases, when a terrace was being excavated, a portion of the material was left standing as a wall or rampart. The rampart and fosse defence that is so marked a feature of native forts in most districts, is almost non-existent here, and is seen only in very short forms crossing the rim of the crater.

On the steep sidelings alone are seen high scarps; on the lower and more gentle slopes the terrace scarps are from 3 feet to 9 feet in height, usually about 5 feet or 6 feet.

It is a specially noticeable fact that even on slopes where terraces might have been carried at the same level for a considerable distance, no attempt has been made to do so; the level of such formations has been purposely broken. Assuredly this was for the purposes of page 315defence. Thus, should an enemy gain access to a terrace he could not proceed along it far in either direction without encountering a flank defence of scarp and stockade. For example, the lowest terrace in the amphitheatre like gorge on the S.W. side of the pa shows six different levels, or consists of six different terraces situated at different levels. At one place the former mode of passing from one level to another seems clearly to have been a sunk way or trench at the base of the inner scarp and sloping upwards to the higher level. Probably the palisading along the brow of the cross scarp was continued on over this sunk way so that a person passed beneath when entering the upper area; thus could the passage be easily defended.

At one place were noted two terraces on almost the same level divided by a transverse fosse and parapet. At several other places terraces are divided or crossed by such ramparts or earthwork walls with no accompanying fosse. Such ramparts are considerably abraded and now show a height of from 3 feet to 4 feet. These walls were formed (or left during excavation) at places where the break in the terrace level was not sufficient to produce a scarp fit for defensive purposes; such parapets were equivalent to raising the height of the scarp. These short ramparts and the four short ones across the crater rim are the only ones seen in the whole of the area occupied. There is absolutely no sign of circumvallation in these volcanic cone forts. In this peculiarity they resemble those of Heipipi and Otatara, but in the latter two the terraces are insignificant in size; as a rule only big enough to contain one or two huts.

A peculiar feature of this pa is the way in which small sub-areas are scalloped out of larger ones. See Fig. 79, p. 314. Thus, in the accompanying diagram, A is a terrace excavated out of a spur slope, while B is a sub-area excavated out of the outer corner of A and 4 feet below its level. On the top of the scarps of the two inner sides of B. are parapets now degraded to a height of from 1 foot to 3 feet.

Just below this terrace is the one marked C, out of the periphery of which has been excavated the terrace D, which is 6 feet below the level of the former at E and gradually rises to join it at F. These singular forms presumably came into being owing to peculiarities in the contour of the spur; they saved labour.

In a number of places the old entrance ways to terraces are still traceable. In one rounded basin like gully S.E. of the crater a path seems to run straight up the hill side through a series of terraces. This, however, was not a common Maori usage; what makes it appear to be of old date is the fact that the levels of the terraces change on either side of the path or passage.

page 316

There are three tihi or summits of this pa, the main height on the eastern side of the crater, and two of lesser altitude on the western side. The view from the main peak is one that can scarcely be excelled on the island; it has been termed the finest in New Zealand.

Within the area of this great fort are hundreds of terraces and escarpments, the depicting of which would mean the expenditure of much time and a vast series of measurements.

A great number of the semi-subterranean type of pit stores is seen throughout the area formerly occupied. The more shallow depressions seen were probably the sites of whare puni (dwelling houses) but the deep pits were certainly storage places, store pits for food products. Hochstetter's statements concerning pit traps and pit residences cannot be accepted.

Shell refuse is seen in all parts, showing that all these very numerous terraces were occupied. On the sloping ground to the S.W. is an extensive burial cave where the bones of the dead were disposed of in pre-European times; the entrance to it is now closed.

The ground is very porous and the water supply of this fort is by no means clear. Water may have been obtained by sinking on the low lands adjacent to the hill, or possibly in one of the subterranean lava flow passages (technically lava-tunnels) that abound in this district.