KEY POINTS:
Two people have narrowly escaped serious injuries from falling trees or branches in the Auckland Domain within weeks of each other.
During last week's storm a huge eucalyptus tree near the cricket fields fell on a car in which the driver was parked while reading a newspaper.
The
stationwagon was a write-off but the man received only minor injuries.
An Auckland woman has now reported a similar experience just a few weeks earlier. Anne-Marie Burton of Red Beach on the Hibiscus Coast was getting something out of the back of her car in the Domain when a large branch, estimated to weigh one tonne, broke off an oak tree.
It left her with a cut lip that needed stitches, and a headache that took a few days to clear. Her car was smashed beyond repair.
Ms Burton is concerned that the Auckland City Council is not doing enough to protect people's safety in the Domain. She says a child could have been killed in either of the incidents and is not convinced the council took her case seriously enough.
It was only after she wrote to the council about five days later that it cordoned off the oak tree, Ms Burton said. "They need to review and improve their safety procedures ... They may need to check the trees more often."
Ms Burton, a tree lover, said she did not see any need to remove trees unless they were rotten.
The council's aboriculture manager, Mark Bowater, told the Herald the after-effects of the storm caused the eucalyptus to fall, although it did have some internal decay.
The oak branch collapse was "an almost freak accident".
The mature tree was outwardly a healthy specimen and there was no obvious explanation why the large limb broke off.
Mr Bowater said there had been no adverse weather at the time. "It was totally unpredictable."
Such occurrences were unusual for oaks. However, the council had removed some heavy limbs that had been overhanging the road.
Mr Bowater said the council had an advanced system of asset management and was digitally recording every tree in its parks.
Information was stored on all trees and they were inspected regularly. If a potential risk was indicated, that tree would be checked at last every six months.
A council arborist checked Domain trees each week, and maintenance was done at least once a month.
The collapse of branches was almost always caused by bad weather.
