Recent News
KAIKOURA STAR NEWSPAPER - July 2010
The Kaikoura Star newspaper featured Kevin Cole, T4T Manager, in an article about the recently revamped T4T website, online tree purchases & optional extras, new equipment, vollunteer opportunities, etc. Check out the article at: http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/3865606/Treat-environment-with-trees
MAY 2010
We've just released our long-awaited updated website, which now includes a carbon calculator for car and motorbike travel (as well as aircraft flights). Our NEW shop feature includes the opportunity to donate to the programme, and there are a few NEW options available to purchase in addition to trees. Over the next few weeks, we'll be adding more options ...
MAY 2010
Our Autumn tree planting programe is now in full swing. Last week we planted 402 trees in our South Bay Walking Track and Areneau Cemetery Walking Track sites.
We've already received unseasonal extra rainfall, so the newly planted trees will have had the best start possible!
Now the initial plantings are complete, we return to the office to register the trees to their new owners. If you purchased a tree during last summer, you should receive your e-card from us within a couple of weeks...
AUTUMN 2010
There won't be a fixed-date resumption of tree planting this Autumn. Instead, we'll be monitoring the heat and weather, and will resume planting once conditions are suitable. Our watering facilities will also be available, should we get caught out by a lack of rainfall.
SUMMER 2010
Summer 2010 has (so far!) been perfect for trees! The weather has been strangely unsettled, with sparadic days of sun; rain; cloud; hot; cold... Our NEW watering programme has (so far!) kicked in five times to suplement the (lack of) rainfall on our most recently planted trees.
One additional problem we've had, is that the wetter summer has also caused astonishing weed growth. As a result, we've had to 'overlook' our aim to avoid using chemicals, and have visited our planting areas to perform both manual weed clearance and weed spraying.
BUT THE RESULT OF ALL THIS IS AMAZING - Most of the trees look EXTREMELY healthy! WELL DONE to all concerned and involved...
SADLY - MORE TREE DAMAGE TO REPORT - January 2010
A wired-closed gate has been opened on the South bay Walkway, allowing a small herd of cattle to escape from their field. It is unknown who did this, or how long the cattle were free, but we've had approx. fifty trees 'munched' down (fortunately not sufficient to cause their death). Two trees have been severly trampled, and will have to be replaced. These trees were among our largest and longest planted in the South Bay area! The two landowners involved are aware of the issue/problem. The gate has been rewired, and further reinforcement to it are already planned.
T4T = AMONG THE BEST OF 2009 - January 2010
The Kaikoura Star Newspaper published a list of 'Highlights of 2009', which included a photo of the appointment of Kevin Cole as the T4T Manager!
SUMMER'S HERE - SO WE START WATERING - December 2009
After ten days without any rain, we can officially say that summer heat, and reduced rainfall has arrived, so... We've swapped our spades & shovels, for garden hose & buckets, and have commenced the largest summertime watering programme T4T has ever attempted. With over four-thousand trees in the ground, including another record breaking number of trees planted this winter, it's obviously important to keep them alive and healthy... we'll keep you posted!!!
LAST WINTER PLANTING OF 2009 - December 2009
With a nervous eye on the 'unsettled' long-range weather forecast, we took the plunge last week, and planted 404 trees along the South Bay coastal walking track. Since then we've had two 'reasonable' rain showers = a good start for the trees!
DROUGHT STILL REPORTED IN CANTERBURY - November 2009
The local press continue to report record LOW levels of rain fall, despite a little recent rain in the Kaikoura area = http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/732631 and http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/3105298/Drought-looms-in-high-country
T4T ASSOCIATED WITH AWARD WINNER! - November 2009
One of the UK's leading newspapers (The Daily Telegraph) has featured Trees For Travellers alongside Kaikoura's Whale Watch company winning the "Responsible Tourism Award". Check out the full article (T4T discussed about half way down!) = http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/hubs/greentravel/6543760/New-Zealand-Whale-watching-company-wins-Virgin-Holidays-Responsible-Tourism-Awards.html
AT LEAST WE TRIED! - November 2009
Some have been commenting about the apparently 'dead' and 'dying' Cabbage Trees near the Innivative Waste Kaikoura (IWK) entrance (T4T office location!)
We 'rescued' these trees from the land-fill 'truck' waste within IWK a couple of months ago! Unfortunately, their main tap-root had been severed, but we re-planted them anyway!
Two months later, it looks like they aren't going to survive, but at least we tried(!) - we hope locals, etc. will give us a few more weeks before we give up and remove them...
LARGE & small TREES - November 2009
With immediate effect, we announce that we've changed the trees we plant!
Rather than separate trees by their eventual size, we're going to plant small and LARGE 'examples' of all Kaikoura'ian(!) native species. A small and subtle change, but significant for us when faced with matching planting sites, weather effects, land erosion, inland vs. coastal, etc. against tree species and their size!
WE'RE STILL PLANTING - November 2009
Kaikoura has 'enjoyed' a reasonable amount of rain over the last few weeks, which has enabled our planting season to continue later than previous years! We're currently planning a 'close of season' planting around mid-November (as long as hot/dry summer weather doesn't arrive in the meantime!)
In the meantime, we're working on a watering and site maintenance programme which should allow us to continue planting through the summer months. (we intend to start some test/trial plantings during December 2009!)
WINTERTIME DROUGHT - September 2009
Local Kaikoura and Canterbury press have recently reported a continuation of last summer's drought through winter, which is what we've been finding while planting trees this season!http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/news/christchurch/2868349/Canterbury-drought-likely-say-forecasters
TREE VANDELISM - September 2009
Regretably, we report the vandelism of five large Cabbage Trees on Tom's Track. All five tree have been kicked over and destroyed. Fortunately (and strangely!) all other species nearby were left untouched! Kaikoura Police have been informed. Click here to view the Kaikoura Star newspaper article:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/2878945/Travellers-trees-shortlived
AWARD WINNER - September 2009
Trees For Travellers is now associated with an award winner!!!
Louise Southerden, who visitied Kaikoura earlier this year, and spent time with Kevin Cole, (Manager of Trees For Travellers) won TWO Australian travel writer awards for her eco-tourism feature (referenced below 23-24 May 2009):
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/2811253/Kaikoura-has-prime-spot-in-Australian-papers
ISV VOLUNTEER GROUP - August 2009
We hosted another enthusiastic International Student Vollunteer (ISV) group. Over three days, they helped clear and weed some existing sites; planted 50 trees; and tagged 350 trees.
(Kaikoura Star article:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/2767148/Volunteers-plant-in-streams)
STOP THE POHUTUKAWA - August 2009
Our decision to stop planting the Pohutukawa has been vindicated!!!
A North Marlborough Significant Natural Areas Project report describes it as an invasive weed, and not welcome in our region!
(http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/2752627/Pohutukawa-unwelcome)
WEBSITE UPGRADE PLANNED - August 2009
The T4T website is just about to receive an upgrade and a small face-lift !!! ... and will include the following NEW options and changes...
We're just about to change the T4T tree options:
FROM = small and large species
TO = a species oriented list. You then select small or large examples of that species!
SELF PLANTING - We're introducing a NZ Winter-time Self-Planting service, with an accompanying set of optional extras (certificates, plaques, etc.) - PLEASE contact us directly if this is of interest?
CORPORATE - following a recent increase in approaches from companies wanting to purchase and plant trees in support of their carbon consumption, offsetting, gifts, sales rewards, etc. we've developed a range of suitable options. PLEASE contact us directly for more information.
We're working on a wide range of NEW options, gifts and merchandise for you to choose along with your tree purchase = Certificates, Plaques, Caps, T-shirts, Photo frames, ...
Is there anything you'd like us to offer?
KAIKOURA TREE SPECIES - July 2009
An audit of our recent weather and planting problems revealed that three of the tree species on our purchase list (Pohutukawa, Karo, Karaka) are NOT indiginous to Kaikoura. As a result, we've immediately stopped planting these species, and will be taking appropriate steps to remove them from the programme, and to contact any recent purchasers, etc!
TREE PLANTINGS - June 2009
630 trees have been planted so far this autumn, and await processing before T4T supporters are informed of their planting!
LARGE TREE PROBLEMS - June 2009
We currently have some supporter tree plantings 'on-hold' due to a lack of inland sites within the Kaikoura region. (Before land can be adopted by T4T, sites must: never be harvested; never be developed; there must be no cattle grazing; there must be reasonable viewing access; and the land-owner must agree to a range of management and maintenance issues). We're currently talking to a range of Kaikoura land-owners in an attempt to resolve this issue. The trees affected are mainly our 'large' species.
T4T IN THE AUSTRALIAN PRESS - 23-24 May 2009
Trees for Trevellers is featured in the Australian press = Sydney Morning Herald, and Melbourne Age article on "Green Edge - Wildlife Treasures of NZ's South Island":
Click on: http://www.mcmanus.co.nz/documents/SMH_Kaikoura.pdf
Or http://www.smh.com.au/travel/natural-order-20090520-bf3i.html?page=-1
ISV VOLUNTEER GROUP PLANTING TREES - May 2009
An International Student Volunteer (ISV) Group visited Kaikoura, to help with a range of Community based public space projects, including Trees For Travellers site maintenance, and 500 tree plantings @ the South Bay Coastal Track
Click on: http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-express/news/kaikoura/2447543/Work-goes-on-in-the-wet
DROUGHT - SUMMER 2008-09
Summer has brought an intense drought to the Kaikoura region, with record low levels of rainfall from Nov to April. Trees for Travellers has diverted resources toward helping our more recently planted trees. The drought delayed our normal planting programme.
FEB 2009
Kevin Cole recruited as T4T Manager (part-time)
JAN 2009
Sandy Mulally recruited as T4T administrator (part-time)
