A woman has won a reprieve for her favourite walnut tree, which was due to be felled in Havelock North.
Rachel Coxhead chained herself to the tree before sunrise yesterday to protest Hawke's Bay Regional Council's plans to fell 38 trees near the Mary Doyle retirement complex.
The 52-year-old contends the tree produces the best walnuts around, which she's been collecting for 30 years.
Following the protest, the council relented and said the tree could stay.
The other 37 trees - 21 poplar and 16 walnut - will be felled as council said they were a safety hazard for nearby landowners and members of the public.