Opinion: Relief for residents following good call to cut down 18 trees

These trees are to come down in the coming weeks in a massive felling operation to improve safety, shading and leaf fall for locals. Photo/Stephen Parker

Boy was I happy to see the Rotorua Lakes Council is starting work to cut down a portion of Blomfield Gully.

Coming from personal experience, those trees really need to go.

For more than 10 years, I lived directly beneath those trees and know only too well the grief and fear they cause locals - not to mention the fact I spent way too much quality time with my leaf vacuum in those days.

The council has advised residents that as of Monday this week a portion of Blomfield Gully will be closed for the next four to five weeks while contractors work to remove the 18 eucalyptus trees.

The council's statement said the trees were being removed for safety, leaf fall and shading reasons.

While you might think this job is a knee-jerk reaction to the tragedy in January that saw a tree on the corner of Amohia and Arawa Sts fall, crushing and killing local woman Trish Butterworth, this work has long been in the pipeline.

I first complained to the council about the trees more than five years ago and my neighbours had done the same for many years previously.

While our concerns weren't immediately addressed how we wanted, the council would do annual checks of the trees and lop off a branch or two here and there - reassuring us they were keeping an eye on them.

The council notified residents in the area of Blomfield Gully by way of a mail drop in November last year the felling work would be done this month.

My old neighbours couldn't be more thrilled.

Some days at my old house I used to lie on the lawn looking up at the monstrous eucalyptus trees marvelling at their beauty and listening to the wind whistling through them.

Following the tragic death of Mrs Butterworth, our love affair with beautiful old trees is put in context.