One Tree Hill is an American drama television series created by Mark Schwahn that premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB network and ran for nine seasons, concluding on April 4, 2012, on The CW with 187 episodes.[1] The series is set in the fictional coastal town of Tree Hill, North Carolina, and centers on the evolving relationship between half-brothers Lucas Scott, a brooding outsider and basketball enthusiast raised by their mother Karen, and Nathan Scott, the privileged high school athlete son of their father Dan, as they navigate rivalry on and off the court amid family secrets, romances, and personal ambitions.[1] Key supporting characters include Lucas's best friend Haley James, a tutor who becomes entangled in the brothers' world; Peyton Sawyer, an artistic cheerleader dealing with loss; and Brooke Davis, a driven fashion entrepreneur and socialite, whose arcs explore friendship, betrayal, and growth into adulthood.[1]Initially praised for its blend of basketball drama, teen romance, and emotional depth inspired by real-life high school dynamics in Wilmington, North Carolina—where it was filmed—the show transitioned from The WB to The CW after the 2006 merger, allowing it to mature beyond high school storylines into themes of career struggles, parenthood, and tragedy in later seasons.[2] It garnered a loyal fanbase for its character-driven narratives and integration of indie music, earning four awards including ASCAP honors for top TV series and 27 nominations across categories like NAACP Image Awards, though it lacked major Emmy recognition.[3]Notable cast departures, such as Chad Michael Murray and Hilarie Burton exiting after season six due to contract disputes, shifted focus to remaining leads like James Lafferty, Sophia Bush, and Bethany Joy Lenz, while the production faced scrutiny in 2017 when writer Audrey Wauchope accused Schwahn of sexual harassment and abusive behavior, allegations corroborated by multiple female cast members including Bush and Lenz, leading to his suspension from related projects.[4] Despite these off-screen issues, the series maintained viewership stability, averaging millions per episode, and has since achieved cult status through streaming, prompting cast-led discussions on workplace toxicity in a 2020 podcast reunion.[4]
Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, New Zealand
Geography and geology
Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill is situated in central Auckland, New Zealand, at approximately 36°54′00″S 174°46′50″E, forming a prominent landmark within the urbanlandscape.[5] The peak rises to a height of 182 meters above sea level, with a topographic prominence of about 94 meters, overlooking surrounding suburbs and the adjacent Cornwall Park.[6] As part of the Auckland Volcanic Field, a basaltic intraplate system comprising around 53 monogenetic volcanoes that have erupted over the past 200,000 years, it occupies a strategic position amid low-lying isthmus terrain shaped by earlier glacial and fluvial processes.[7][8]Geologically, Maungakiekie is classified as a scoria cone volcano, characterized by explosive eruptions that produced clusters of basaltic scoria mounds from at least three overlapping craters, with one crater remaining intact while the others were breached by subsequent lava flows.[9] These eruptions generated extensive basaltic lava flows covering approximately 20 square kilometers, making it the second-largest volcano by volume in the Auckland Volcanic Field after Rangitoto Island.[10] The formation occurred during one of the field's more voluminous events, with radiometric dating indicating an age of around 28,500 years before present, though some estimates place initial activity closer to 60,000 years ago based on stratigraphic correlations.[10][11] The cone's loose, porous scoria deposits, derived from gas-rich frothy lava fountains, overlie older AVF flows and are capped by thin layers of wind-blown ash from later regional eruptions, contributing to the site's vulnerability to erosion and landslips during heavy rainfall.[12][13]
Māori history
Maungakiekie, meaning "hill of the kiekie vine," was a prominent Māori pā (fortified settlement) in Tāmaki Makaurau, recognized as the most extensively developed such site in the region and one of the largest pre-European archaeological complexes in New Zealand.[10] It featured four tihi (summits) defended by ditches and palisades, alongside extensive terracing that supported whare moe (sleeping houses), rua (storage pits for kūmara and other crops), tāpapa (garden mounds), and hāngī (earth ovens), sustaining thousands of inhabitants through seasonal agriculture.[10]The pā's terraces, visible in archaeological remnants, were engineered for both defense and cultivation, with dedicated areas for kūmara gardens leveraging the fertile volcanic soils; excavations and mounds protected these plots while providing strategic vantage points.[14] Capable of housing approximately 4,000 warriors, Maungakiekie exemplified advanced pre-iron-age fortification prevalent after 1500 CE, integrating settlement, agriculture, and military readiness.[15]Under the paramount chief Kiwi Tāmaki of the Waiohua iwi in the early 18th century, the site functioned as a key stronghold until conflicts escalated, including a war sparked by a disputed funeral feast that led to Tāmaki's death around 1740 in battle against Te Taoū forces at Paruroa (modern Big Muddy Creek).[15] Subsequent conquest by Ngāti Whātua in the mid-18th century shifted control, but the pā was largely abandoned by the time of European contact in the late 18th century, following the death of Te Taoū leader Tuperiri around 1795.[15] These events underscored Maungakiekie's role in inter-iwi rivalries over Tāmaki's resource-rich landscapes.
Colonial history
In 1844, shortly after the founding of Auckland as New Zealand's colonial capital, Irish settler Thomas Henry purchased approximately 400 hectares of land including Maungakiekie from Ngāti Whātuarangatira, renaming the property Mount Prospect Estate and using it primarily for pastoral farming and livestock grazing.[16][17] Financial pressures prompted Henry to sell the estate in 1853 to Auckland merchants John Logan Campbell and William Brown, who renamed it One Tree Hill after the solitary tree visible on the summit, a landmark noted in early settler accounts.[18][19] The partners operated it as a suburban farm, focusing on stock rearing and crop cultivation on the fertile volcanic soils, which had been partially cleared by prior Māori terracing and European expansion.[20]Campbell, who bought out Brown's share in 1873 to become sole proprietor, continued pastoral activities while initiating landscape improvements, including the planting of a grove of Monterey pines on the tihi (summit) in the 1860s to prevent erosion and restore vegetative cover diminished by farming.[10] These efforts reflected broader colonial practices of land modification for agricultural productivity and aesthetic enhancement, transforming the former pā site into a private estate that served as a model for settlerland management in Auckland's isthmus.[21] By the late 19th century, the hill's elevated position and visibility had established it as a key navigational and symbolic feature for the growing colonial population, though it remained under private ownership until early 20th-century public gifting.[22]
Cornwall Park and developments
Cornwall Park, encompassing approximately 94 hectares at the base of Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill, originated as part of the One Tree Hill Estate purchased by John Logan Campbell in 1853.[19] Campbell, a prominent Auckland merchant and former mayor, developed the land as a farm before gifting it to the city on June 10, 1901, during the visit of the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, in whose honor it was named.[23] The donation included an endowment to fund maintenance in perpetuity, administered by the Cornwall Park Trust Board established under the terms of the gift.[24]The park was formally opened to the public on August 26, 1903, with initial landscaping featuring avenues of mature trees, including pohutukawa and native species, to create recreational spaces amid pastoral fields.[25] Early developments emphasized public access for sports, picnics, and events, while preserving the site's volcanic contours; Campbell's vision stipulated no buildings or subdivisions that would alter its open character.[26] By the 1910s, infrastructure such as paths, entrances, and a pump house had been added, funded partly by the endowment and public contributions.[21]Significant mid-20th-century developments included wartime adaptations and commemorative structures. In October 1942, 75 acres were temporarily repurposed as the 39th General US Army Hospital, accommodating thousands of personnel with barracks and medical facilities until the war's end, after which the land was restored to park use.[27] Post-war, the Auckland Observatory was constructed in the park in the 1960s following site negotiations, providing public astronomical facilities adjacent to the historic domain.[28] The One Tree Hill Obelisk, a granitememorial to Māori commissioned by Campbell and completed in 1940 but unveiled in 1948, stands atop the summit within the adjacent domain, symbolizing his respect for pre-colonial history.[29]Modern developments focus on sustainability and heritage preservation under the Cornwall Park Trust. A 100-year master plan, adopted around 2015, addresses urban encroachment by proposing resilient landscaping, wetland restoration, and traffic management to maintain the park's rural aesthetic amid Auckland's suburban growth.[30] Campbell, who died in 1912, is interred at the obelisk base, with his residence, Campbell Crescent, restored as a heritage site featuring period gardens and interpretive elements.[31] The park remains a key venue for events like Christmas in the Park, drawing over 100,000 attendees annually, while the trust enforces strict covenants against commercialization.[32]
Tree symbolism and controversies
The Monterey pine (Pinus radiata) atop Maungakiekie, planted around 1875 by landowner John Logan Campbell as part of efforts to reforest the summit after the felling of the original indigenous tōtara tree circa 1852, survived alongside a failed grove to become a singular landmark visible across Auckland.[15][33] This lone exotic tree, replacing what Māori oral traditions identified as a culturally significant tōtara, symbolized urban development and European landscaping for many residents, while for others it represented the erasure of pre-colonial ecology on a former fortified pā site that once supported up to 4,000 people.[34][35]On October 28, 1994, Māori activist Mike Smith attacked the pine with a chainsaw, girdling its base in protest against the National government's "fiscal envelope" policy, which capped Treaty of Waitangi settlement funds at NZ$1 billion—a figure critics, including iwi leaders, argued undervalued historical land confiscations and breaches dating to the 19th century.[36][37]Smith was interrupted by onlookers before fully felling the tree, which sustained severe damage but regrew over subsequent years amid heightened security. The act polarized public opinion, with some viewing it as vandalism against an 120-year-old icon celebrated in culture (including U2's 1987 song "One Tree Hill"), while Smith framed it as a deliberate escalation to spotlight unresolved Māori grievances, later expressing partial regret for the emotional impact on non-Māori Aucklanders.[38][39]The pine faced a second attack in 1999, exacerbating structural weakness from the prior girdling and natural decline.[33] Deemed unsafe by arborists, it was fully removed by helicopter on October 26, 2000, ending the "one tree" era without immediate replacement due to ongoing vandalism risks and annual protection costs estimated at NZ$40,000.[40] Debates ensued over restoration: proponents of a symbolic successor clashed with advocates for ecological authenticity, reflecting broader tensions between preserving colonial-era landmarks and honoring the maunga's pre-1840 state of native vegetation.[41] In 2016, a co-governance authority planted a grove of nine native species, including six pōhutukawa, prioritizing biodiversity over a singular emblem.[42][43]
Other geographical locations
Australia
One Tree Hill is a rural locality in the City of Playford, South Australia, situated approximately 37 km north of Adelaide in the foothills of the Mount Lofty Ranges.[44] The area, bounded by Uley Road and Gawler-One Tree Hill Road to the north and One Tree Hill Road to the east, has historically served as an agricultural district focused on dairy farming, grazing, and viticulture since the nineteenth century.[45] It lies midway between Tea Tree Gully and Gawler, about 12 km south of the latter, and supports a small community with residential development amid its hilly terrain.[44]In the Australian Capital Territory, One Tree Hill refers to a prominent hill approximately 3 km north of Hall village, near the suburbs of Taylor and Gungahlin, straddling the border with New South Wales.[46] The site was integral to early colonial surveying of the Canberra district, with measurements taken by Robert Dixon in 1829 and Robert Hoddle in 1832 to establish reference points for land division.[46] Today, it features walking tracks such as the One Tree Hill Lookout Walk along the Centenary Trail, offering views of the surrounding Brindabella Ranges and access via pedestrian paths from nearby areas like Manuka.[46]Additional minor features bearing the name exist elsewhere, including a hill in Victoria's Ararat Hills Regional Park with moderate hiking trails spanning about 12 km, and a peak in New South Wales' Blue Mountains near Mount Victoria, though these lack the same level of documented historical or community significance.[47]
India
One Tree Hill Point is a prominent viewpoint in Matheran, a hill station in Maharashtra's Raigad district, situated in the Western Ghats approximately 90 kilometers from Mumbai.[48] The site is accessible via a moderate trek through dense forest, covering about 4.2 miles with an elevation gain of 347 feet, typically taking 1.5 to 2 hours to complete.[49]Matheran itself lies at an elevation of around 800 meters (2,625 feet) above sea level, making One Tree Hill Point a higher vantage within the eco-sensitive zone known for its biodiversity and restricted vehicular access.[50]The name derives from a solitary tree perched on an isolated basalt rock pinnacle, which is notably inaccessible and serves as a landmark amid the surrounding valleys and peaks.[51] Visitors reach the point via trails from Matheran's main areas, such as Charlotte Lake or the market, offering unobstructed panoramas of the Sahyadri range, including distant views of Prabhalgarh fort and the Patalganga valley, especially vivid during sunset.[52] The area features minimal development to preserve its natural state, with no permanent structures at the summit, emphasizing its role as a serene trekking destination rather than a commercial site.[53]While lesser-known spots like One Tree Hill Garden near Kankaria Lake in Ahmedabad exist as landscaped recreational areas, they lack the elevated, natural hill prominence of the Matheran feature and are primarily urban parks for local leisure.[54] The Matheran viewpoint stands as the primary geographical namesake in India, drawing trekkers for its unspoiled forested paths and ecological significance within a protected hill station declared a biosphere reserve area.[55]
South Africa
One Tree Hill is a mountain in the Nkomazi Local Municipality, Ehlanzeni District, Mpumalanga province, situated near the border with Mozambique and within the broader Lebombo Mountains range.[56][57] The peak reaches an elevation of 587 meters above sea level, with a topographic prominence of 230 meters, characterized by steep slopes and a small summit area.[57][58]The region around One Tree Hill features a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa), supporting varied terrain including farms and localities such as Ivaura.[58][59] A nearby farm also bears the name One Tree Hill, indicating its use as a local geographical and possibly agricultural identifier.[59] Historical maps prior to 1910 consistently depict One Tree Hill as a prominent feature east of regional roads near sites like Fort Mistake, highlighting its longstanding recognition in cartography for navigation and settlement purposes.[60]The area serves as a reference point along routes such as those connecting Malelane and Kamhlushwa, though it lacks major urban development or protected status compared to more prominent South African landmarks.[61]South Africa records at least seven locations named One Tree Hill, underscoring the commonality of such descriptive toponyms derived from isolated tree features on elevated terrain, but the Mpumalanga instance stands out for its mountainous profile.[62]
Sri Lanka
One Tree Hill, commonly referred to as Single Tree Hill, is a prominent 2,100-meter (6,890-foot) peak in Sri Lanka's Central Province, situated in the Nuwara Eliya District near the town of Nuwara Eliya.[63][64] It stands as the tenth highest mountain in the country and rises about 250 meters above the surrounding town, providing expansive panoramic vistas of Nuwara Eliya, the Haggala mountain range, Pidurutalagala (Sri Lanka's tallest peak), and adjacent valleys.[65][66] The hill's name originates from a solitary large tree crowning its summit, a feature that has persisted despite regional deforestation trends in the colonial era when Nuwara Eliya developed as a Britishhill station.[64]Accessible via a moderate 1-2 hour hike from Nuwara Eliya along Single Tree Hill Road, the site attracts trekkers and nature enthusiasts for its 360-degree viewpoints, especially at sunrise or sunset, and proximity to tea estates and Horton Plains National Park.[63][67] Trails often extend to nearby Shanthipura village, the highest-elevation settlement in Sri Lanka at around 2,000 meters, combining natural observation with rural cultural experiences.[63] The area supports biodiversity typical of Sri Lanka's central highlands, including endemic flora and fauna, though visitor numbers have increased post-2010 due to tourism promotion in the region.[66]A separate, smaller One Tree Hill exists in Kandenuwara, Matale District, also in the Central Province, featuring a modest mound with a single banyan-family tree and renowned for unobstructed 360-degree scenic overlooks of valleys and estates, popular for camping and photography since at least the early 2020s.[68][69] This site lacks the elevation of its Nuwara Eliya counterpart but offers similar isolation and natural appeal without formal trails or commercial development.[70]
United Kingdom
One Tree Hill in Honor Oak, located primarily in the London Borough of Southwark with parts extending into Lewisham, is a prominent hill rising to approximately 91 meters (300 feet) and serving as a local nature reserve.[71] The site features steep wooded slopes, open grassland at the summit, and panoramic views across London, including landmarks such as St. Paul's Cathedral, the London Eye, and Wembley Stadium.[72] It holds historical significance tied to the "Honour Oak," linked by legend to Queen Elizabeth I, under whose shade an acorn was reportedly collected and transported to Virginia by early English settlers, symbolizing transatlantic ties.[72] The hill's terrain includes uneven footpaths unsuitable for wheelchairs or pushchairs, emphasizing its natural, unmanaged character.[72]In Kent, One Tree Hill near Underriver and Sevenoaks is a National Trust-managed site offering expansive views over the Weald of Kent.[73] Acquired by the National Trust in 1911 through a donation from Dr. and Mrs. Jamieson Hurry, the area comprises woodland footpaths across uneven ground with steep slopes, preserved for public access and countryside enjoyment.[74][75]Within Greenwich Park in southeast London, One Tree Hill provides historic vistas across the city, celebrated in an 18th-century poem by T. Nicholls for its "prodigious view."[76] The summit features a conduit head dating to the late 17th or early 18th century, possibly designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, and a viewing area enhanced with paving and seating in the mid-1990s.[77][78] Part of the 74-hectare park originally enclosed as a royal deer park under Henry VIII in the 16th century and landscaped in the 1660s, it integrates into the site's broader baroque layout.[79]In Essex, One Tree Hill forms part of Langdon Hills Country Park in Thurrock and Basildon, reaching 85 meters in elevation with trails, picnic areas, and facilities including car parks open from 8 a.m. to dusk.[80][81] The area, divided into sections like Westley Heights and One Tree Hill, supports public recreation with footpaths, horse rides, and adjacent nature reserves managed by Essex Wildlife Trust.[82]
In popular culture
Television series
One Tree Hill is an American teen drama television series created by Mark Schwahn that originally aired from September 23, 2003, to January 17, 2012.[1] The show's title originates from the 1987 U2 song of the same name, which Bono wrote in tribute to the band's roadie Greg Carroll, who died in a motorcycle accident in Dublin; the song references the Auckland volcanic cone Maungakiekie / One Tree Hill, where Bono and Carroll had visited during U2's 1984 tour of New Zealand, overlooking the city lights that evoked personal reflections on loss.[83][84] Initially broadcast on The WB network, it transitioned to The CW following the 2006 merger of The WB and UPN, spanning nine seasons and 187 episodes focused on family dynamics, romance, and personal growth in the fictional Tree Hill, North Carolina.[85]The narrative centers on half-brothers Lucas Scott (Chad Michael Murray) and Nathan Scott (James Lafferty), estranged due to their shared father Dan Scott's (Paul Johansson) favoritism toward Nathan, a high school basketball prodigy; themes expand to include friendships, such as those with Peyton Sawyer (Hilarie Burton), Brooke Davis (Sophia Bush), and Haley James (Bethany Joy Lenz), evolving from sports rivalry to broader life challenges like parenthood, career pursuits, and tragedy.[1] The series includes a direct nod to Auckland's One Tree Hill through recurring character Andy Hargrove (Tim Pocock), a New Zealander whose storyline involves relocation to Tree Hill, highlighting cultural contrasts.[86] Production emphasized music integration, with episodes often featuring indie tracks and a timeline jump in later seasons shifting focus from high school to adulthood.[87]In November 2017, eighteen former female cast and crew members publicly accused Schwahn of sexual harassment, assault, and emotional manipulation during production, prompting support from male cast including Murray and Lafferty, who advocated for their colleagues' experiences to be heard.[88][89] Schwahn was subsequently suspended and fired from his showrunner role on The Royals, though no legal charges resulted; the allegations underscored power imbalances in the industry's creative environment at the time.[90] Despite this, the series retains a dedicated fanbase for its character-driven storytelling, with viewership peaking in early seasons before stabilizing around 3-4 million viewers per episode in later years.[1]
Music
"One Tree Hill" is the title of a song by the Irish rock band U2, serving as the ninth track on their 1987 album The Joshua Tree, released on March 9, 1987, by Island Records.[91] The song was written by Bono in tribute to Greg Carroll, a Māori production assistant who worked with U2 during their 1985 tour and died in a motorcycle accident in London on July 10, 1986.[91] Carroll's body was returned to New Zealand for a traditional Māori tangihanga (funeral) held atop One Tree Hill in Auckland, where his ashes were scattered, inspiring the song's title and themes of loss, farewell, and spiritual connection to the location.[92]The track features atmospheric instrumentation, including Edge's signature delay-laden guitar and Bono's emotive vocals, evoking a sense of vast landscapes and emotional depth, aligning with The Joshua Tree's American road-trip motif but rooted in personal grief.[91] In March 1988, "One Tree Hill" was released as a single exclusively in New Zealand, debuting at number 4 on the charts on March 20, 1988, before ascending to number 1 for six consecutive weeks.[93] No official music video was produced for the single. The song has been performed live sporadically, including during U2's 1988 Rattle and Hum tour and a notable 2010 rendition in Auckland as part of the 360° Tour, where it resonated with local audiences due to its ties to the site.[94]