Our first official TEA working bee!

A couple of dozen volunteers turned out to help clear the huge amount of weeds and rubbish from the entrance to the track.

Once the greenery was cleared, we could see the shape of the ground and plan the planting. A large-leaf privet tree was ringbarked but left in place to provide shade and shelter for the new planting beneath it.

A few hidden treasures – historical bits and pieces from the mining days – were found under the weeds, and these are now laid out beside the track.

On the left of the track, near the stream, we used sodden cardboard covered with mulch as a weed suppressant. On the right we used only a thick layer of mulch once the ground had been cleared. We added saturated water retention crystals to the holes to try and help the new plants through the imminent dry season, and bucketed water from the creek to give them a good starting drink.

Lesson #1: Plant earlier in the year.

In addition to the harakeke from Pare Hauraki, the rest of the plants were donated by The Rewildery and had lived most of their lives in full shade. Moving to a new location where most parts were in full sun was fine for the hardier species – karamū, rewarewa, harakeke, putaputaweta, rangiora – but others were unlikely to thrive in their new spot.

Lesson #2: Source plants accustomed to a similar environment.

The plants had been recently removed from a location where they couldn’t have survived, so anything that did is a bonus!

Lesson #3: Schedule a follow-up rota for maintenance.

Going forward we’ll attach specific people to the small chores that need to be done to minimise the bystander effect, and protect the results of the volunteers’ hard work.

Thanks everyone for a fun day out, and a great result!