Just 37,000 trees to go to Christmas

Picture / Glenn Jeffrey

The rows of trees at the Mt Gabriel Christmas tree plantation at Mangere Bridge seem to stretch forever and are so neat and tidy they might have been trimmed by a giant pencil sharpener.

Owner Ashley Commerer says a good eye and steady hand help keep the 5 1/2-year-old radiata pines true to form.

Trained and trimmed to seasonal perfection, the trees are rapidly disappearing from their stately rows with Mr Commerer's brother Nigelhelping with the harvest.

When the photograph was taken a few days ago there were 42,000 trees for sale. Now there are about 37,000 left.