Whangarei community rallying to help restore Quarry Gardens

Whether you've got deep pockets, a kind heart or green thumbs, Whangarei's Quarry Gardens needs your help.
Just over a week ago a fourth devastating fire in as many months ripped through the Quarry Gardens, leaving a 10.6ha black scab on Western Hills. Let's help heal it.
Quarry Gardens Trust chairman Isopu Samu, who described the arsons as "giving the whole community the single digit salute", said the trust's biggest concern is funding.
Still smarting having spent $20,000 on re-seeding after previous fires, the trust needs cash and muscle.
They also need greenery - check out the list of native seedlings, plants and seeds on this page.
"Eco-sourcing" is the buzzword for gathering native seeds from local plants so as not to dilute the plant population's genetic make-up.
No pinching though, says Quarry Gardens project manager David Muir: "We don't want people going out collecting seeds and plants from public land - that's a definite no-no."
There is a sense of urgency.
With speedy weeds like gorse and pampas already springing up, Mr Muir knows they don't have the time or money to do things exactly how they want.
Hopefully they will have the numbers, though.
To support the hard-core group of modest volunteers, Mr Samu is encouraging community groups to help on May 28, the first designated public planting day.
Whangarei District Council principal rural fire officer Kevin Ihaka, some of the brains and brawn behind rural firefighting in Northland, is getting behind the planting.
He is keen to see awareness of "green firebreaks" raised - bands of plants like coprosma that will slow or stop fires.
On the Quarry Garden slopes they were scrambling over yesterday - doing what they hope is their last ground sweep for hot-spots - his Forest Protection Services crews plan to be among the volunteers breathing life back into the blackened ground.
The firefighters have spent hours battling the flames - you'd think they would be sick of the sight of the place.
But now they're itching to get right back in there and get their hands dirty, spades and seedlings in tow.
Mr Muir would like to ramp up the original goal of planting 10,000 plants in one day, but the area has to be secured to ensure volunteers' safety. "We just can't let the public go wandering willy-nilly."
He can't sing the praises of the fire services loud enough: "They're absolutely marvellous."
Mr Ihaka and Mr Muir surveyed the damage from the air yesterday, without flames licking at the helicopter skids.
Skywork Helicopters pilot Duncan Gourley - a hero in charge of the monsoon bucket at many Northland fires - calculated the burnt area using Global Positioning System technology. The 8.5ha patch converts to 10.6ha (or 26.5 acres) once steep contours are factored in.
Ironically, Mr Muir was touring fire-prone parks in Australia's Dandenong Ranges when the last - and most devastating - arson attack struck.
Now he faces the daunting task of co-ordinating replanting of part of the city's backdrop - a stretch of Western Hills visible from Kensington and other city suburbs.
Tourists are still popping in to visit, following signs to a charred bowl where there was once lush bush.
He could be crying in the potting shed, but Mr Muir remains sweetly optimistic - he's happy the fire spared the Gardens' biggest kauri tree.
* HOW TO HELP
Donations: Cheques made out to "Whangarei Quarry Gardens Trust" can be sent to PO Box 1612, Whangarei.
Money can be deposited via Internet banking, or at Whangarei branches of the National Bank.
Bank account number: The Whangarei Quarry Gardens Trust, National Bank, 06-0493-288734-003.
* NATIVE PLANTS AND SEEDS
Even a small number of seeds (50-100g) will help - drop them off at the gardens. Volunteers will sow the seeds using the most appropriate method for each species.
You can also collect native seedlings now, grow them in pots at home and take them to the gardens later in autumn. All New Zealand native species are welcome, but the following list shows the most suitable plants:
Coprosma robusta - karamu Coprosma repens - taupata Coprosma grandifolia - raurekau Coprosma australis - raurekau Melicytus ramiflorus - mahoe/whiteywood Corynocarpus laevigatus - karaka Pittosporum species (any) - karo/tarata/kohuhu Myoporum laetum - ngaio Aristotelia serrata - wineberry Solanum aviculare - poroporo Pseudopanax lessonii - houpara/Fivefinger Pseudopanax arboreus - fivefinger Meryta sinclairii - puka Griselinia littoralis - broadleaf Griselinia lucida - kapuka/broadleaf
* PLANTING DAY
Sunday, May 28, has been tentatively set for a massive public working bee, with the aim of planting over 10,000 small plants.
We'll let you know details closer to the time.