Whakaipō Bay Community Planting 2024

We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day! Over 160 wonderful supporters joined us to plant 1,800 native plants at this year’s Whakaipō Bay community planting event. 🌿💚

The site preparation and weed control were expertly managed by Peter Marshall, ensuring everything was ready for the big day. The native plants were sourced from Tongariro Corrections, and an amazing team from the Department of Conservation (DOC), local volunteers, including the dedicated Wicked Weeders, helped unload and lay out the plants.

Whakaipō Bay holds a special place in the hearts of many, especially within our incredible planting community. This year, the Taupō Girl Guides, along with other dedicated volunteers, came together once again to make it a success. Led by Denise, who has been planting here for the past 35 years, and supported by Nicole, the Girl Guides also expertly ran the barbecue, ensuring everyone enjoyed a well-deserved sausage sizzle. 🌭✨

The following Tuesday, the Wicked Weeders returned to the site to check all the plants, placing guards around the kōwhai to protect them from rabbits. These final steps are crucial to ensuring the best possible survival rate for our newly planted natives.

This event also marked the completion of six years of continuous restoration work in this area. We are deeply grateful to the John Nankervis Trust for providing the funding making this planting possible.

It was a beautiful way to wrap up Greening Taupō’s 2024 planting season, especially after our recent recognition at the Taupō Business Stella Awards, where we were honoured with the Not-for-profit Community Angels award. This award, paired with the success of the Whakaipō Bay event, made for a truly heartwarming and rewarding conclusion to our year’s efforts. 🌱👏