City Scene - September 2000:

September 2000

Clean Up For Beaches

Puppy Playschool

Week of Event to Celebrate City's Heritage

Flush Median Strips - Making Roads Safer

Efficiency Is Positive

Showtime Coming

Macrocarpa to go back into park

PIC: ABOVE: Landscaping work under way where the large macrocarpas have been removed from Thomson Park. RIGHT: A plan of the proposed redevelopment.

Timber from felled macrocarpa trees in Thomson Park is likely to be going back in as park furniture.
Macrocarpas felled along the Marine Parade section of the park will produce about about 12- 18 cubic metres of timber when milled. Ideas are being sought from the community for use for the timber. Some ideas put forward already have been for seats in the park and others at South Shore. The timber could also be used for boardwalks or decking in the district.
Another suggestion was that the timber be used as innovative playground structures. It was also suggested that the stumps be fashioned as sculptures.
Work has started on the new planting along Marine Parade and follows a protracted period of discussions and sometimes vociferous argument about retaining the old macrocarpa trees.
A community planting day was held recently to put in the first of the native shrubs and plants suitable for growth in coastal areas.
The Christchurch City Council’s Coast Care selected smaller plants, which have a better chance of surviving the New Brighton coast climate.
These included cabbage trees, silver tussock, akeake, tauhinu, mikimiki, pingao, sand and coastal coprosmas, and matagouri.
The area will also have a number of specimen macrocarpas among the lower growth. Macrocarpas are synonymous with the area.
Planting will be finished soon and irrigation will go in next along the Marine Parade block and in Bowhill Road.
Reinstatement of grass areas in the park will also be carried out soon. The park’s skateboard facility was put in about 20 years ago but this has recently received an upgrading with more challenging structures and resurfacing. Already the new improvements appear to be attracting skaters away from the pier.
A youth event with skate and BMX demos, music and other entertainment will be held on 17 September from 1- 4pm to celebrate the improvements to the skate area.
The City Council’s Parks Unit’s project co-ordinator aboriculture, Craig Taylor, says he has received a great deal of good responses to the improvements which he says will rejuvenate and breathe life into the park.
The Parks Unit has also received positive comments about the improved skate area and the large numbers of rollerbladers and skateboarders from a wide variety of people using the park.