The Warehouse Group is New Zealand’s largest retailer.  They have a strong commitment to people and the environment and have become regular volunteers at CUE Haven.  Today we were very happy to once again have a group of professionals from the Business Insights and Data Analytics teams to help us out.

The group arrived first thing in the morning and included Aga, Bevan, Clint, Heike, Ian, Jeremy, Karl, Kathryn, Nica and Sheila.  Also joining us for the day was Lily-Arna, accompanying her mother to volunteer during the school term break, and our good friend and regular volunteer Alan.

About half of the group was new to CUE Haven so after getting acquainted over morning tea, Mahrukh gave a short talk on the CUE Haven project and our current activities and future plans.

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

The primary plan for the day was to continue to work on upgrading sections of walking track that were damaged during the summer rain storms. Because of the size of the group, we broke into three teams.

One team started off by doing some trimming of vegetation that had grown over the tracks and clearing away a couple of small trees that had fallen across the tracks.

Cutting the thicker tree branches required more than just loppers.

In spite of the obstacles they had to clear, the team managed to clear the both the Hebe and Miro tracks—300 meters! And once they finished the trimming work, they joined the other teams to help out with their tasks.

The second team tackled an interesting and unusual challenge.  Near the top of the property close to where the stream rises, the walking track bends to follow the bottom of a low ridge.  A portion of the stream flows over the side of the ridge resulting in a small waterfall and a little grotto where you can see glowworms at night.  Unfortunately, heavy rain this year caused a slip along the ridge and we were concerned that it may have undermined the walking track.

We requested the team to inspect the area for damage to the track and determine the best solution.  They carefully tested the stability of the area and then used a spade to check the walking track. All good – the ground under the track was very firm!

The team discussed potential issues in this area and brainstormed solutions. Although the track was stable, they decided nevertheless that it would be best be to build a railing to prevent visitors walking too close to the waterfall and grotto.

We brought up timber for the rails.

And some old fence posts to use as supports.

The team went to work digging the holes for the posts. Everyone took turns with the post hole borer.

And a narrow spade was used to finish off the holes.

A low side wall was installed to secure the posts and to prevent erosion in the future.

They checked the alignment of the posts with a high-tech spirit level.

The holes were filled in and rammed down to keep the posts secure.

And the side board was nailed firmly in place.

The top and middle rails were then nailed into place and the end result is a railing that looks great and is an excellent addition to the track that will provide future visitors a great lookout spot to enjoy the waterfall and glowworms.

The third team worked on fixing a long sloping section of track that was badly eroded during the rain storms.  Water had overflowed the drain and washed away part of the track.  That undermined the retaining boards which as a result had moved out of alignment. 

The team studied the area to determine the proper alignment of the track and planned the work.

The problem sections were dug out so that the track foundation could be repaired and new boards could be installed.

Once the old boards were removed, new side boards could be installed.

A string line was used to keep everything in line.

Another important job was to clear out the drains to ensure that water would flow away from the track in the future.

The new boards were secured with pegs and nailed in place.

The boards were cut to size to match up with the existing side walls.

Extra long pegs were used to ensure that the sideboards would remain secure.

Once the side boards were installed, the soil that had been dug away was replaced and packed down.

To finish off the improved track section, the entire group joined up to put down a layer of gravel.  We filled buckets of gravel and drove them as close to the work site as possible.

The buckets were carried down to the track and the gravel was dumped on the track and raked in.

The team’s creativity and hard work have greatly improved and future proofed the track.

At the end of the day, the team gathered up all the gear and we headed back to the cottage for a leisurely lunch.

Today was a very productive day and we really enjoyed working with everyone and also enjoyed many interesting conversations. Thanks everyone!!

A big thank you to Keryn for continuing to champion CUE Haven at the Warehouse.  Sorry you couldn’t join us today but we look forward to seeing you next time.  And many thanks to Nica for organising the day and handling the logistics.

We also want to thank the branch managers of the Airport, Lincoln Rd, New Lynn, St Lukes, Westerly and Westgate stores for donating the jars that will be used to bottle up the CUE Haven honey which is sold as a fundraiser for capital projects. Thank You very much! We look forward to having you all join The Warehouse team on their next volunteer day at CUE Haven.

And thank you to Alan for giving up a day and coming out yet again to help out.  Your help and advice are invaluable!

And a huge THANK YOU to everyone from TWG and Lily- Arna for all your good ideas and hard work.  We hope you enjoyed the day as much as we did. You accomplished a lot and have made a major contribution to CUE Haven and we really appreciate your efforts.