A community's efforts to transform a former waste station to a place of beauty have again been hit by thieves.
But the project's driver, Barbara Clark of Maromaku, says people's support and generosity have made up for the setbacks.
For more than a year, volunteers have been turning out every Thursday to create a community park complete with a bush walk and picnic tables at the top of Maromaku Hill, beside State Highway 1 south of Kawakawa. A refuse station until mid-2008, the site offers views across the Maromaku and Motatau valleys where many motorists stop.
The project was plagued last year by people dumping rubbish, in some cases even while the volunteers were at work.
That seems to have abated but last week thieves made off with 100m of rope and 30 battens used to mark out a bush walk.
After the first rope was stolen, Mrs Clark knotted the replacement at every batten, so the second time they took the battens as well - a job she said would have required several people with a ute or truck.
Mrs Clark said the "absolute waste" of community time and money was disheartening. The committee was now working on a new way of marking the trail because it could not afford to replace the rope and battens.
However, the volunteers had no intention of giving up.
The other side of the story was the people who gave freely and anonymously to the project, like the unknown person who left a table and seat, the man who stopped to hand over a $20 koha, or the Auckland stonemasons who worked until nightfall to make a welcome sign.
Contact Kawakawa police on (09) 404 3150 with any information about the theft.