ANZ Auckland North–9 March 2023

Today a great team from ANZ’s Auckland North Business group helped out clearing the walking tracks and getting us back up and running after Cyclone Gabrielle. 

The team arrived first thing in the morning and included Ben, Brent, Calum, Ivy, James, Kane, Leigha, Leona, Maggie, Rob, Sam, Sarah and Shravan. 

Most of the group were new to CUE Haven, and over morning tea and introductions, Mahrukh also gave a brief description of the CUE Haven project and activities, and plans for the future.

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

We’ve been working to repair the damage done by Cyclone Gabrielle in February and there were still long sections of walking tracks that were impassable due to fallen trees and debris. As a result, we requested the team to help out clearing the track with loppers and hand saws and rakes. 

The plan for the day was to break the large group into three smaller groups, start at the top of the property and work down, taking different routes to clear the tracks and roads.  We drove up to the top of the property and Thomas pointed out the areas each group would tackle.

Before the teams went to work, Thomas gave another safety briefing and demonstrated the equipment.

One group started at the viewing platform and cleared the Hebe and Kanuka tracks.  Most of the work involved trimming overhanging branches.

But there were also some bigger trees down across the track which the team cut up and moved away.

The hard working team did a great job and the improvement in the track is amazing:

The second team started at the top of the Kowhai Track, and worked their way down, trimming overhanging branches and clearing debris on the road.  This is the main driving track at CUE Haven, so it’s important that it be clear. We had previously cut out the bigger trees that had fallen across the road, but there were still a lot of smaller trees and branches in the way.

The team used hand saws to cut out trees that were too big for the loppers.

The work required both bending and stretching.

The team made excellent progress and managed to clear over half of the main race.

The third team started at the Rimu track and worked down clearing downed trees and raking up fallen branches.  The tracks they worked on traverse the middle of the property where some of the most severe damage occurred and in some places, the tracks were completely blocked or hidden by fallen trees and debris.

The first task was to assess the area for safety to ensure that there was no danger of falling limbs or further movement.  The team then had to determine the best way to tackle the obstacle and whether to use loppers, saws, and bare hands to clear the track.

The team managed to clear the track all the way to the intersection with the Taraire track.

The team then moved on to clear the Taraire track.

As a result of the team’s hard work, the Taraire track has been completely transformed and restored.

The last challenge the team tackled was to clear as much of the Ruru track as possible.  This track sustained the greatest amount of damage and the team managed to clear most of the track.

Finding a safe place for the fallen trees was an interesting challenge.

Thanks to the team’s hard work, the track is mostly cleared and looking good.

In just a few short hours, a huge area of the CUE Haven reserve has been transformed thanks to the hard work and effort of the amazing ANZ staff.

We gathered up all the gear and headed back to the nursery to clean up and enjoy a well earned leisurely lunch.

Many thanks to Sarah for organising the day and championing CUE Haven within ANZ. 

A huge THANK YOU to the entire team.  We really enjoyed meeting you all and getting to know you and look forward to having you back out with your family for a leisurely visit and also returning next year for a more ‘normal’ volunteer day. You tackled some very difficult challenges and exceeded our expectations. Thank you all!!

You have all made a major contribution and your efforts are a major first step in restoring and getting the CUE Haven community reserve flourishing again.

Many thanks for your help!!