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What's on » Activate Northcote - Planting Days
Activate Northcote - Planting Days

Have you ever joined us for a tree planting day?

It's a fun and active way to contribute to a sustainable future for us all. Planting trees means cleaner air with less CO2 in the atmosphere (slowing climate change), cooler air in the city, healthy biodiverse ecosystems and spaces for people to connect with nature - which is proven to dramatically reduce stress! Plant trees with us this season, watch them as they grow for years to come and eventually, walk in their shade with future generations of your whanau!

This planting season, Kaipātiki Project are joining with other local volunteer groups organised by Forest and Bird for three separate planting days to plant hundreds of native trees at Tuff Crater, Onepoto Stream and Cadness Reserve. We do this to contribute to their continued growth and ecological success, and also to find inspiration for what our recent collaborative Northcote project: Te Ara Awataha Greenway will become. Learn more about the incredible story of Te Ara Awataha, and our involvement in regenerating the once hidden stream at the bottom of this page.

 

The three free tree planting events that you can attend in Northcote this season:

TUFF CRATER

Saturday, 13 May

9am - 12pm

37 St. Peters Street

✅COMPLETED

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We joined the friendly Tuff Crater restoration group, organised by Forest & Bird, and helped to plant over 1000 trees in this (probably extinct) volcano crater!

This was a massive success, with more than 35 people joining in to create an amazing atmosphere, even as we sludged through the mud to get the job done. Thanks to all who were involved, we look forward to working with you again.

 

 dodgy weeds 1200 900 px 260 100 px  ONEPOTO STREAM

Saturday, 10 June

9am - 12pm

53 Woodside Avenue
 Join the local restoration group looking after the Onepoto Stream, also organised by Forest & Bird. The stream runs through Kauri Glen Reserve, Cecil Eady Bush and past Onepoto Domain. Planting trees here will help clean the water and stabilize the river banks, reducing erosion and slips.

 

CADNESS RESERVE

Saturday, 17 June

10am - 12:30pm

Cadness Street

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Cadness Reserve is one of the many small reserves that have recently been connected by Te Ara Awataha Greenway in Northcote's town centre, creating a beautiful space for people and for nature to thrive! Join us to learn about "dodgy weeds and what to do with them" before getting stuck into some tree planting!

 

This project is funded by:

AC+Eke Panuku + KLB LOGO

Planting Days at Tuff Crater and Onepoto Stream are done in collaboration with Tuff Crater Restoration Project by:

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Cost: FREE
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For nature, for mauri, for people

Te Ara Awataha Greenway, Northcote

Does Northcote ever feel a bit like a concrete jungle? Do you need a place to connect with nature, breathe fresh air, meet new people, let the kids run wild, or just enjoy some peace and quiet? Look no further than Te Ara Awataha, the new 1.5km greenway in the heart of Northcote!

You might not have known, but a stream has always run through Northcote town centre. It’s called Te Ara Awataha, and it has a long historical and cultural significance in the area. Many years ago, as Northcote developed, the stream was enclosed in a concrete pipe to make construction ‘simpler’. This had unfortunate cultural, environmental, and practical consequences. Enclosing the stream sacrificed the mauri (life essence) of the stream, destroying and depleting the living ecosystems surrounding it. What’s more, it reduced the town’s capacity to deal with flood events.

In 2019 a major project was undertaken to “daylight” the stream once more, by strategically removing the concrete piping, and restore it to its near-natural state. Kaipātiki Project has been delivering the community-led regeneration of Te Ara Awataha and Jessie Tonar Reserve (which sits at the source of the river) on behalf of Eke Panuku Development Auckland, in partnership with mana whenua, Auckland Council's Healthy Waters and the Kaipātiki Local Board.

Through combined efforts and community participation, Te Ara Awataha stream has been brought to the surface and revitalised, and its mauri is being restored with each season. It has become the heart of Te Ara Awataha Greenway, which links multiple small reserves and creates a stunning natural space and green corridor for everyone to enjoy. The nature-based design has proven itself in the recent Auckland flooding, where excess water was captured (as planned) and allowed to drain slowly and safely back into the natural water system.

Te Ara Awataha is now a thriving habitat for birds, insects, and eels. Although it is relatively early in the regeneration phase (year 4), there is new life flourishing! This planting season, we look to neighbouring eco-systems that are more established and join local volunteer groups to plant hundreds of native trees. We do this to contribute to their continued growth and ecological success, and also to find inspiration for what Te Ara Awataha will become.