On September 7th, our community came together at the Puketi Forest Campsite to plant 780 trees, led by Te Araroa Northland trustees William Fuller, Kerry Shanta, and Mark Williams.

With thirty volunteers from Paihia, Kerikeri, Russel, Opua and beyond, we swiftly planted the trees.

Plants were carried using recycled buckets from Predator Free Russell. The buckets have been left there to catch rain water – so if you walk this section of track and see a full bucket, make sure to give the young trees a water!

This effort, part of our regenerative trail strategy, will help create a canopy that reduces weeds, provides shade for walkers, and minimizes the need for weed spraying. A win, win for nature, walkers and the trail!

After planting, the group enjoyed a scenic walk to the falls for lunch, finishing off the day with afternoon tea and great stories about the trail.

A big thank you to everyone involved!