Today we welcomed our friends from ANZ’s North Shore business team for another day of volunteering.  For most of the group it was their seventh year volunteering at CUE Haven and for some it was their ninth year!

Allan, Ada, Ella, Hunter, Jin, Joe, Keith, Kelly, Kim, Kylie, Marianne, Miki, Shrenik and ZhenZhen were joined by David from the corporate insurance division of Gallagher Insurance, ANZ’s strategic partner.

We spent some time catching up over morning tea and then Mahrukh gave an update on our recent activities and plans and Thomas gave a safety briefing and described the work planned for the day.

Normally this time of year we would be doing some late summer maintenance on the walking tracks.  However, the weather has once again decided to alter our plans.  Since the 2023 floods, we had been having repeated washouts on a section of the Riroriro track at a point where it runs along the stream. Back in November, we completed a new bypass route on the track which we hoped would take the track well out of harms way. Here you can see the newly completed track section and the original route which we decided to abandon because of repeated issues.

A heavy rainfall in January on already saturated ground resulted in a slip which damaged the entire area and destroyed the new track.

For safety reasons, we have decided to close that section of the Riroriro track, which previously was the main route up to the viewing platform. 

Fortunately there are nice alternative routes up to the platform so that visitors can continue to enjoy exploring the property.  The plan for today therefore was to work on fixing up the lesser used tracks since they will be getting more use in the coming months.

The group broke into three teams.  One team worked on a variety of track repair issues, one helped out with trimming and the third worked on general track clean up and also fixing a number of drains which were blocked and damaged during a heavy rain in January.

We headed out to the work site and went to work.

The trimming team started out, cutting back branches that had grown out onto the track.

They also used a yard rake to clear the track of leaves and twigs and used spades to fix other issues with the track surface they encountered as they moved up the track.

Over the course of the day, people moved among teams and joined in with the trimming efforts.

The end result is that the tracks are looking great.

A second team worked on a variety of walking track maintenance challenges.  We aren’t building any new tracks, but the existing track network needs regular maintenance due to wear and tear and ground movement.

The team moved up a long section of track identifying and fixing different issues.  They spent time studying the issues and coming up with solutions.

The main issue they found was that in some places, side boards had moved out of alignment or loosened and they nailed everything back in position.

In some cases, it was necessary to dig out the old section to realign the boards.

In several places, it took a lot of teamwork to get the boards back into alignment and install new pegs.

In some areas, ground movement meant that longer sections of side boards needed to be removed so the track edge could be realigned.

The team made some major improvements to a long section of uphill track that will make it a lot easier for visitors to use.  They finished off by filling in any gaps and clearing off the track surface.

The third team worked on the messy and challenging job of cleaning out and repairing some drains which were overwhelmed during the heavy rain we had in January.

Vegetation and debris flowing through the drain can block the pipes which leads to the water overflowing and damaging the track.  The team fixed up three drains and track sections.  The first task was to study the situation to see where the water was coming from to determine the best way to fix the issue.

They then went to work with rakes and spades clearing out the drains.

They also repaired some of the track sections that had been damaged by filling in low spots and putting down a layer of metal.

The team accomplished an amazing amount of work and not only repaired the damage but helped to better prepare the drains for the next heavy rain.

Shortly before lunch, the teams all caught up and trimming team caught up with and we all met up on the viewing platform before walking back for a well-deserved lunch.

The group today accomplished an amazing amount of work and tackled some unusual challenges and as always showed a lot of teamwork, energy and creativity in coming up with solutions.

Our many thanks to Allan for organising the day and for championing CUE Haven within ANZ.

And a huge THANK YOU to the entire team.  We so appreciate your hard work and help. You have all made a wonderful contribution to CUE Haven and all your efforts and your continued support over the years are greatly appreciated.

We look forward to having you back out with your family and friends for a leisurely visit to explore of your community reserve -CUE Haven, and, also returning next year for another fun and productive volunteer day.