We hope Christmas was great and the New Year will be kind to you all
What does this year hold for us?
How are the trees that were planted last year?
What more can we do to the walking tracks to improve them?
Are the tracks being used?
Are there any areas you feel we should work on?
Lake Te Ko Utu and its environs; your feelings on this area please.
- Reflections on the walkway.
Two old gents, three score years and ten,” building a chute”, out of cut down plastic drums and setting them up on a tree covered cliff face.. Thanks guys.
The chute was to enable the filling for the hollows in the track to be sent down the river bank to the work site.
This section of the walkway between the High Level Bridge and the stairs at the back of Overwaters has been the most challenging. With truck loads of broken concrete poured down the bank and then stacked into the hollows in the track, a major effort was needed and the Christmas break came too soon. We would have liked to have lights on the under side of the bridge so we could have worked at night to get the track finished for all the walkers to use over the holiday break in this lovely fine summer weather that has just arrived.
There is nothing nicer on a hot summer’s day than a cool stroll along the River Walkway to view the water falls, bush, bird life, and river traffic.
- Condolences.
We were sad to hear of the death of Doreen Roberts.
When on the Community Board, Doreen had been very interested in the work that we have done and the work in progress. She had visited the nursery and checked out the Dominion Road Walkway up to the Waterfalls.
She understood why we where reclaiming the waste lands and the purpose of upgrading the walkways.
- The Truck
At the Annual Meeting a decision was made to buy a truck. This has now been done. Somewhat larger than was first envisaged but it will be useful. It has proved so already, carting all the gear around the different sites we are maintaining. It is intended to sign-write our name on it, thus lifting our profile.
- Pope Terrace Pine Trees.
With the pine trees on the Leamington side of the river now cut down there are gaping holes on both sides of the riverbank exposed to erosion.
We have offered our help to the Council but with such a large area in need of immediate remedial action we can not do it all.
For the future appearance of the whole area there is need of a PLAN that will cover all aspects e.g.; stop erosion, outlook and keep the locals happy.
When it comes to the planting of the lower part of the bank we will need younger volunteers to do the scrambling up the banks. Any volunteers please apply!
- Oaks
With some help from Andy McGrath we have made contact with some Oak Experts up and down the country and find there are many more types of Oak Trees than the 20 varieties the Council have purchased.
If this is to be an Arboretum we need every one we can get. It may take years but we should end up with something worthwhile.
- Parks
The time has come for some sort of long term plan for the Parks in our town.
At present we are stagnating. We would like to hear from anyone with ideas for improvements. What would you like to see this town look like in 10 or 20 years time? The time to do something is now. Let us have your ideas. We would love to hear other ideas.
- Weather and weeds….
There is something to be said about all this wet weather. Our trees keep on growing, but so do the climbing weeds.
So over the holiday break we have had men working continuously with the weed eaters trying to keep those nasty weeds and climbing pests at bay.
- The Lake….
There is to be a workshop on what to do about the Lake!
Well if they keep on talking it will fill up with bull dust.
Come on folks lets hear from you as to what you think should be done.
- Quiet, trees growing.
Much growth has happened over the last few years in some very accessible places where we have planted trees. You don`t have to go off the beaten tract to view them.
From the Shakespeare Street Bridge behind the Kauri Grove the trees are covering the banks of the river. It is 6 months and 18 months since these were planted.
Dominion Road from opposite the skate bowl the edge of the bush has a lush new border with a mixture of native trees and others all planted in 2003. This year a pohutukawa actually flowered, it is only waist high but produced three small heads of red flowers. The whole border has been mulched both years with the leaves collected from the town and it has worked a treat keeping the weeds down.
In a hidden corner a few steps from Pope Terrace can be viewed a triangle of over 2,000 trees planted with the assistance of the local residents. This is the beginning of Poet’s Track. It can be reached from Fletcher Place and Lumb Park and it has a metalled path. It is absolutely amazing the growth on the puriri trees on the bank below the gum trees. They have almost trebled in size in their first year of growth.
From the car park at Wackrows Joinery you can see the growth of the new trees on both banks that lead down the hill into the hidden park like area that is on the Karapiro Stream edge.
The pine trees in there had been removed and a lot of them left to rot. The area has been planted as it has been cleared and now we have a great collection of trees doing very nicely thanks. It has such a variety of trees it could almost be called an Arboretum.
It is so quiet yet it is only down the hill from the town, the industrial area, and the State Highway.
There are two areas that have yet to be cleared and planted. We have been beavering away in here when all the major projects have been actioned. As more space is cleared and mown it is beginning to feel like a hidden park.
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Some times things go wrong. A member rang us to say that there was a large amount of carpet coming out of the Union Manse. So my friend was engaged to build a lean-to to put the carpet in to keep it dry. He was on to it like a hungry dog. After trying to make contact with somebody at the church over a number of days the lot got dumped.So now we have an empty lean-to shed. At least it will be ready for the next lot and we can keep it dry.
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It is good to see some fine weather, but a bit late for the first lot of beach holiday people.
The disaster in the Indian Ocean should be a reminder of just how powerful Nature is and we should remember we could be next. It's not if, it's when. The next jolt could be us. Will the world rally to help us when it comes?
- Clay Seed Balls
We have read about these being effective in inaccessible places.
To make them you need clay and seeds. Then you mould them together into balls, that can then be thrown down or up into very steep places and if they are still wet and sticky they will hold on to the ground and slowly the seeds will germinate and hey presto we have new growth to hold the earth together.
- Stop Press
We have just been approached by the Catholic School in Alpha Street to look into the possibility of a joint project to clear and plant the face of the hill below the Church.This looks out over the Carters Flat Industrial Park.
At the present time it is covered with weeds “What a brilliant idea.”
Now we will work on a plan of action………to see if it is feasible.
