Maintenance Work on Landmark Pohutukawa

Arborists will be tending to a landmark pohutukawa in New Plymouth this Sunday (17 JULY).

The tree, on the one-way system on the corner of Leach and Cameron streets, was damaged during this week’s high winds.

“There’s a branch that is just hanging there and we need to remove it,” says District Arborist Conrad Pattison.

“We’ll also take the opportunity to do a crown lift – trim the lower branches so that trucks can pass beneath it without getting hit.”

One lane of Leach Street will be closed during the work, which will start about 8am and take up to three hours to complete.

The tree was brought to New Plymouth from Kawhia as a seedling in 1873 by Thomas Inch.

In 1996 it was struck by lightning, requiring some branches at the top to be removed.

“The tree is 138 years old and it’s been knocked about a bit by the weather over the years, but it’s still in good health,” says Mr Pattison.