ANZ Business Banking North Shore—14 March 2017

Today we had another great group of professionals from ANZ’s North Shore Business Banking group in Auckland out to help with some walking track work.

The group of fourteen arrived bright and early and included Alex, Anita, Ashleigh, Casey, Catherine, Guixia, Keith, Kim, Kylie, Lydia, Lynn, Sonya, Tony and Yvonne.

We got acquainted over morning tea and then Mahukh gave a welcome and introduction to CUE Haven.

Thomas then gave a safety briefing and a description of the work planned for the day.

The plan for the day was to continue working on boxing in the new walking track at the top of the property.

We drove up to the top and went to work.  We initially split into two teams.  One group took shears and walked the length of the track cutting back weeds which had grown over the track and which would interfere with the boxing work.

It was a tedious job and some of the weeds have a lot of nasty prickles, but the team managed well and completed clearing the entire track! Well done!!

Meanwhile the rest of the group worked on the track.  The section of track we are working on was built across as sloping section of the property and it is therefore prone to erosion.  Soil can wash down from the higher ground onto the track and the track surface can also be washed off onto the lower ground on the other side.

As a result, we install little retaining walls to keep the track clear and in place.  This involves studying the contours of the ground and figuring out the best solution for each section of track.

The group picked up where the previous team had left off and initially tackled a long curving section of the track.  Today’s volunteer group consisted of ANZ staff from different branches on the North Shore and it was great to see the teamwork as everyone went to work helping each other out.

The first task involved figuring out where to place the retaining boards and digging out a straight wall.

The boards were then cut to size and secured in place with pegs and nailed together.

It can be a challenge getting the joints just right and this group nailed it!

Once they finished the straightaway, they worked on finishing off the steps.  Each step needs to be boxed in to prevent erosion.  There is the additional challenge that because the ground is not level, the steps cannot always be uniform.

At one point an unexpected rain shower came in over the harbor but it didn’t keep the team from working on.

After the brief rain break the team continued working on the tracks.

Everyone worked very hard and accomplished an amazing amount and did a great job – thanks to the excellent teamwork.

And a special thanks to Kevin for his assistance with training and helping the group.  His building experience was a great help!

The entire team should be very proud of what they accomplished.

We took a leisurely walk back to the cottage so the group could see more of the property and enjoy the growing native forest.

We then had lunch and spent some time relaxing and chatting.

Sonya and Yvonne had to leave early for some urgent work at the office so they didn’t join us for lunch.  And before they left they spent some time helping out with weeding in the nursery. Thanks!

We also want to thank Sonya for organizing today’s visit and bringing her team out.  We really appreciate your support.

A big thank you to everyone who came out today!  We really enjoyed working with you all and very much appreciate your hard work and amazing contribution to CUE Haven.  It was great to see you all participating fully and working as a team and coming up with good ideas for making the track better.

We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did.  Thank you for your help and support. You have made a much valued and lasting contribution to CUE Haven and New Zealand’s natural heritage and the community. The track you built today will be used and enjoyed by visitors for many years to come as they explore the growing native forest at CUE Haven.

We very much look forward to having you out again for a leisurely visit with your friends and family, and we hope to also see you again for another fun and productive volunteer day.