Today we welcomed a group of old and new friends from Westpac bank in Auckland for our first volunteer day of the spring season.

The group arrived first thing in the morning and included Abdullah, Bob, Frances, Henry, Inge, Gaston, Kelly, Mark, Richard and Slava.  Also joining us was Inge’s daughter and regular CUE Haven volunteer, Cady.

We spent some time getting acquainted over morning tea and because most of the group was new to CUE Haven, Mahrukh gave them an overview of the CUE Haven project and plans for the future.

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

The plan for the day was to work on cleaning up a section of walking track after the winter wear and tear.  Falling leaves and branches need to be cleared away and wet winter weather can cause damage to the track surface.  We broke into three groups and went to work.

One group worked on raking leaves and branches from the track.  They also trimmed away overhanging vegetation that had grown out over the track.

They also looked out for any areas of damage and alerted the other teams so they could fix them.

A second team worked on fixing up damage to the track caused by heavy rain and, unfortunately, wild pigs who came across from the neighbouring pine forest recently.  The pigs dig in the ground and can damage sections of the track.  The team went to work with spades, rakes and hoes to fix the damage and level off the track sections.  They also cleared drains which may have been blocked by leaves and twigs.

This is the sort of damage the team fixed up.

They moved along the track, fixing issues as they identified them.

The team also identified some drains which had become blocked by leaves and twigs.  They dug out the drain pipes and cleaned them out to ensure the track surface will stay dry in wet weather.

The team managed to repair over half a kilometer of walking track—an amazing effort and now the track is ready for spring and summer visitors.  Thanks!

The third team tackled an engineering challenge.  Due to weather events since 2023, the water table and water flow patterns at CUE Haven have changed.  As a result, a section of track near the stream has become very wet and muddy.  We requested the team to study the area and come up with a solution to improve the drainage.

They explored the sources of the water to determine how it was affecting the track.

They found that the main flow of water was coming down along the right angle corner of the existing track and decided that changing the angle of the track would direct the water away from the track surface.

They cut out the existing side boards and installed a new angled section.

Because of the terrain of the area, the team felt that there was still going to be some seepage from the higher ground adjacent to the track, so they opted to install a drain pipe under the track surface.  This required a lot of digging in the heavy clay.

They were then able to install the pipe and secure it in position.

In order to secure the pipe in place and to ensure good drainage, the team brought down loads of gravel which they covered the area over with.

The trimming team came along to help and they filled buckets at the gravel pile site.

The loaded buckets were then driven to the entrance to the track and carried down.

The area was covered over and is already draining more efficiently.  Thanks team!

The teams also tackled two other tasks. 

Due to a land slip after heavy rains over the past couple of years, we had to reroute another section of track.  We had installed a sign on the track for visitors to enjoy, but since the track had moved, it was no longer possible to see the sign.  Bob took on the task of removing the sign from its old location and relocating it to an ideal spot further up the track.

The wet weather had so loosened the soil that Bob was able to remove the sign by pulling it up.

He then carried the sign to its new location and installed it.

There is a small bridge on the section of track the teams were working on and they noticed that the wire mesh that had been installed for traction had deteriorated and was coming off.  They installed new plastic mesh and gave the bridge a total makeover.

They unrolled the mesh and secured it in place with fencing staples.

By lunch time, all of the teams had accomplished an amazing amount of work and greatly improved the walking track sections.

We gathered up all the gear and took it back to the ute and then walked down for a leisurely lunch.

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

Inge – a big thank you for organising the day and handling the logistics and for continuing to support CUE Haven. We really really appreciate it!

And a huge THANK YOU to the entire team and special thanks to Cady for once again coming to help out.  We hope you all enjoyed the day as much as we did. You accomplished a lot and we really appreciate your efforts and contribution to CUE Haven.  We very much looking forward to having you all back for another fun and productive volunteer day and also for leisurely visits with your family and friends.

Thank You!! Thank You!!