“May your memories grow with the trees.”

There are three main planting sites that are reasonably accessible and close to Victoria Park, and can be pointed out to you when you pick up the tree:

Tawhairaunui Trail

A wheelchair accessible track below Victoria Park Road, it starts behind Visitor Centre and finishes in Tawhairaunui car park opposite the dog park. Plant trees in non-grassed areas only please to assist with mowing.

New planting site below Tawhairaunui trail: park at the 3 park car park on Victoria Park Road, 100m beyond the main car park and before the car park at the rear of the Visitor Centre and Ranger HQ.

From the three-park car park, cross the Tawhairaunui trail and follow the mown 4x4 track and the low stone wall to where it meets another 4x4 track.

At this junction, there is a new seat and cleared area for planting. There is plenty of space to plant to the lower left of the seat.

Latters Spur Track

Walking track starts from the main car park, heads south just under the main Victoria Park spur on the Bowenvale Valley side. The planting area is below Latters Spur track in amongst the new area of plantings (children’s Arbor Day plantings) behind the 19th memorial.

Bush Head Restoration Area

Access off the Summit Road. Turn left at the Sign of the Kiwi, drive approx 3kms east to the layby in the saddle between the two conifer knolls of Scotts Reserve.

The planting area is below the road, across a stile and along the mountain bike track to the north in the fenced-off restoration area.

Kowhai or totara trees are available for tree plantings at $15 each. Trees can be picked up from the Port Hills Ranger Base in Victoria Park.

Contact Park Ranger Fiona Fenton on 027 506 1425 or email fiona.fenton@ccc.govt.nz to arrange a collection time.

Victoria Park access for tree collection

Drive up Dyers Pass Road, turn sharp left at the Sign of the Takahe onto Hackthorne Road, and immediately sharp right onto Victoria Park Road. Follow Victoria Park Road into the park for about 1km.

Continue past the main car park found next to the toilets and playground, around the back of the hill to a driveway on the left to our ranger base. This is just beyond the second small car park at the rear of the Visitor Centre on the hill. 

  1. Find a site at least 3m away from any other planted totara/kowhai trees to ensure they each have sufficient space.
  2. Bench a flat site into the slope, approx 500mm x 300mm (the area of the weed mat provided).
  3. Dig a hole 500mm to 600mm deep.
  4. Plant the tree so the potting mix sits about 50mm below the natural soil surface. Fill in soil and heel in firmly.
  5. Use available leaf litter or grass (not soil) to cover the weed mat as a thick mulch layer. This ensures the weed mat will stay in place to reduce weed competition, and improve moisture retention for the plant.
  6. Bring some water with you to water the plant in, and continue to water over dry summer months if planting late in the year.
  7. Plaques are avoided to keep planting areas as natural as possible, but small natural identifiers such as a small rock, carved stake or woven flax weed mat are fine to be able to identify your tree in the future.