Mysteries uncovered in Pukekura Park
Expect the unexpected if you take a Friends of Pukekura Park Inc (FPP) Curators Walk in Pukekura, the park in the heart of New Plymouth city.
The FPP guided tours take place every first Tuesday of the month from the Bellringer Pavilion at 10.30am til noon. They are open to the public for free.
Valerie Laird has walked the walks since their inception five years ago and said she would continue until she ceased to be amazed.
Laird was unaware an ancient forest was nestled in the park’s 53-acre fold, nor had she heard about the tree that was uplifted and transported to the park decades ago in the dead of night by a duo who strapped it between their two bicycles and rode it there.
‘‘We get taken to places in the park people often never go or knew existed,‘‘ she said.
Ian Hutchinson led the latest walk on March 7, that saw one dozen-or-so eager followers detour off the beaten tracks. They stopped at lesser-known points of interest that were truly fascinating.
One of the quirkier stops was at the feet of a trio of young kauri trees. Hutchinson’s riveting account of the mystery behind which of the three was planted by local youth groups in the 1960’s, showed the trees in a different light.
The botanical records officer’s wealth of knowledge was evident by his quick retorts to the broad range of questions from the inquisitive group.
Laird said although she never remembered the long names of the plants or birds, she had learnt to look at her surroundings from another point of view. Unfortunately she missed the Hemiphaga novaeseelandiae, better known as a kereru, as it drooped its body into an oddlooking position to scoff berries from a nearby tree.
President of FPP Adrienne Tatham has closer ties to the botanical wonder then most. Her grandad was the late Newton King who gave ’Brooklands’ to the city.
’’I grew up on Shortland Street and used to play at Brooklands as a child. It was my backyard.’’
FPP is a volunteer organisation devoted to safeguarding the diverse native and exotic collection of plant life Pukekura holds. The friends had worked alongside NPDC park management to give hands-on help to the growing cause for the past 21 years.