425 plants and 35 people
The biggest planting day the project has had, on the zigzag below Lookout Point — and four of the planters were between five and ten years old.
By Trish Shirley
On 16 May 2026, thirty-five volunteers planted 425 natives on the slope below Lookout Point. It remains the largest single day the project has had.
The epic planting from last month that planted 425 Natives by 35 volunteers is looking really good. We appear to have a great survival rate, probably helped by the fact that we can get the hose to anything that really needs it.
A second day on 6 June was a smaller affair: around sixteen people and 190 plants. One volunteer came up from Palmerston to help; he and three others spent two hours making holes, and “the rest of us could hardly keep up”. Between working bees, two people have been adding to the total as time allows — the beginning of what became a regular mid-week habit.
Several new people signed up on the day, including someone who simply happened to be walking past.
The heartening thing about our last planting was the feeling of fellowship and community buy-in from everyone who attended; and also from every person and their dog who walked past.
And the detail that says most about why any of this is being done:
As a side-note, four of our planters were between the ages of five and ten, and they stayed the entire time and were extremely helpful. It’s great having minions who can run up and down hills! Also, all three parents who attended said that their children had a lovely time.
I think it’s important to remember who we’re doing it for. These young people will be the ones enjoying the mature forest.