Heavenly hydrangeas

Another stunning photo from Barbara Stewart from her walk in the Woods in the weekend - a real beauty of a hydrangea...
Cutting a swathe through a section of the colour wheel from bougainvillea purples through lilac, lavender, mauve and violet, to the softest blues - Cambridge blue, with specks of apple green to highlight...  I love it!  The petals are like butterfly wings.

More lovely magnolias

For those who'd like a virtual visit to Roland's Wood, enjoy these lovely white magnolias now in flower, photographed by Barbara Stewart and kindly shared here...

Magnolias in flower, beautifully photographed by Barbara Stewart

Through conversations with the main hard worker at Roland's Wood, John Horrell, I was contacted by Barbara Stewart offering some photographs she had taken in the Woods, in particular of all the magnolias, to add to the blog.
What a treat - the warm deep magenta against a wintry soft grey sky... I'll post a few of these here with more to come, and many thanks to Barbara for sharing them.   Barbara's offer has been a catalyst to revisit this poor neglected blog - pressure of work mainly to blame, and I will post some more photos from her and updates of where things are at with the Friends of Roland's Wood soon...

Here's a link to an earlier post about Roland's planting of magnolias from world-renowned, local magnolia breeder, Oswald Blumhardt.

And just a heads up - the very first bluebells are starting to flower - still a way off the blue haze, mid September, but the promise is there...

Roland’s Wood and Lavender’s Land

Roland’s Wood and Lavender’s Land

Prospectus, February 2016

Background

Roland's Wood is a four hectare piece of "English style woodland", with a Northland twist, on Inlet Road, 3kms from Kerikeri, generously bequeathed to the people and dogs of Kerikeri by Roland Sansom.

After a period of neglect The Woods has been supported and maintained by an army of volunteers who have become known as the Friends of Roland’s Wood (FORW).  For around a decade the FORW have been steadily bringing the woods up to a standard that Roland Sansom would have been proud of. There have been many unsung heroes and everyone who has contributed to resurrecting this stunning woodland is not only thanked by the Trust but I am sure, by the people of Kerikeri.

The park-like setting is a paradise for dog owners where dog owners can let their best friends run and forage off-lead. It has become a vital community asset when there are few other areas that allow dogs to roam free.

At the time of Roland’s premature passing, half of his land holdings in the area of what is now known as Roland’s Wood was bequeathed to the Far North District Council (FNDC) in trust with the remaining half bequeathed to his sister, Lavender, who has now also passed away. This neighbouring 5.4 hectares of land was also planted in many of the English style trees by Roland Sansom which still exists today, although not maintained.

Current

With Lavender’s passing the land is now in the hands of her estate beneficiaries who have instructed the trustees to sell the entire lot. The land currently has resource consent for subdivision into housing which would likely mean, if developed, that many of the trees will be lost.

In Dec 2015 The Friends of Roland’s Wood formed a charitable trust to formalise as a body, in the anticipation of taking over formal operational and financial management of Roland’s Wood, with oversight from the Trustee, the FNDC. This is currently in train with on-going discussion with FNDC on the formal transfer.

Potential

The Friends of Roland’s Wood see an opportunity for the people of Kerikeri and surrounds to secure this additional land, preserving it from development for generations to come. Kerikeri is a fast-growing area and to have a 10 hectare park with woodlands, a dog park, walks and acres of space for children’s activities within five minutes of Kerikeri township would be a jewel in our town’s crown.

If this land is not purchased by the FORW Trust it is likely to be developed and cut up into sections for housing and will be lost to the community forever. As a Trust we have long and short term ambitions.  Current parking and access to Roland’s Wood on Inlet Road is insufficient and also considered dangerous by many as the turning on a busy road on a partially blind corner has its hazards. By acquiring the additional land currently known as Lavender’s Land the Trust will be able to secure a much safer and wider access via the bottom of Heron Hill. It will also enable the Trust to put in appropriate parking facilities rather than the current parking which only caters for approximately four vehicles and has a difficult turning circle.

Over time we envisage increasing the woodland/dog park area into some of what is now ‘Lavender’s Land’. This would still leave plenty of land to develop things like a large scale adventure play ground, picnic areas and walking tracks down to the Okura stream (as examples) so not only the woodland and dog lovers get to appreciate the asset, but it then becomes a broader community space that can be utilised by all.  The slopes leading down to the Okura stream we envisage will be planted in natives after a serious weed eradication program to remove the gorse etc.

The current covenants in the Roland’s Wood Trust don’t allow buildings or signage and are quite restrictive. The FORW Trust respect the wishes of Roland Samson and by acquiring the land next door it will not only give us flexibility, with better and access parking but it would also allow us to have a small implement shed, a water tank and some signage. Perhaps build a community pagoda among other things.  Currently the volunteers have to bring back and forth all the tools they need and also any water required. There is nowhere to store a quad and trailer. These may seem like small matters but it has a very big detrimental impact on the on-going maintenance and development of the woods.

What is required

It is likely the Trust will only have a very short window of time to raise sufficient funds to acquire the land.  The Trust will require strong support from the local community, media, community board, dog lovers and council to raise sufficient funds to make the acquisition to preserve these 10 hectares for the community for future generations to enjoy.

The recent Crowd Funding for the beach in the South Island is a good example of what can be achieved and we will be following a similar model by utilising Spark’s Crowd Funding platform, Give-A-Little.

Publicity and selling our story of what a great community asset this will be for generations to come. Imagine people, your grand children and their children in 50 – 100 years time appreciating such a large green space that was secured generations earlier.

What we don’t have a lot of is time. We know the resource consent expires in mid June 2016 and we envisage the beneficiaries of Lavenders Estate will want to have secured a sale well before this expires.

Options

The FORW’s ambition is to acquire the entire 5.4 hectares and expand on the woodland and create parkland for the rest. However there is a backstop position if fund-raising doesn’t meet our ultimate objective. The current resource consent allows up to 14 sections over a multi stage development. One or two of these sections could be sold off by the Trust for little development cost, comparative to the rest and the compromise to the parkland isn’t significant. These sections are bordering the existing Heron Hill road and would still allow for the access and parking we desire and also still achieve approximately 3-4 hectares of additional parkland. This is not the preferred outcome for the Trust, but it is an option we must consider if fundraising falls short of out target and still allows us to acquire the land.

Fundraising Target

Our target amount of funds is $600,000. These funds will be sufficient to acquire the land and also help fund on-going maintenance and development of Lavender’s Land and Roland’s Wood.

We don’t have a lot of time. The beneficiaries of Lavender’s Estate want a quick sale and we need to be in a position to commit to acquiring by the end of April 2016. (Actual date to be determined)

We are looking for generous benefactors, but every little bit counts and no donation is too small. Like the saying, many hands make light work, more donations, no matter what size, more donations gets us closer to our target.

If we are unsuccessful at acquiring the land, any funds raised will be returned if requested  by the party who put up the funds and don’t want to donate to the Roland’s Wood Charitable Trust for the on-going costs of maintenance and development. The Spark Give-A-Little platform ensures that any funds donated to the cause are protected and will only be taken up for the purpose intended.

So what will the new parkland look like?

Effectively the land area will more than double.  As you will see by the aerial pictures on the next page, by acquiring the land we will obtain an area of considerable size that is already planted in the same style as Roland’s Wood.

How can you help?

• Donate to our Give a Little campaign
• Spread the word via social media and or personal contacts and organizations
• Become a member membership forms available by contacting Robyn.

ü Any volunteers to assist in our goal are very welcome.  Contact details:

• Simon Upperton – Chair of FORW Trust.
  Ph 0211 917 427   email supperton10@gmail.com

• Robyn Terlesk – Treasurer
  Ph 021 556 102      email robyn.terlesk@bdo.co.nz

• John Horrell – Operations Manager
  Ph 094078239         email jjhorrell@xtra.co.nz

If you would like to know more about Roland’s Wood and the Friends of please visit our web page http://rolandswood.blogspot.co.nz/ or visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/Rolandswood/

Bluebell and blossom time

Just a quick update for anyone checking on the blog about the bluebells flowering in Roland's Wood - here are a few photos from today to show you what's happening - they are a bit later this year but well underway now...








Here's a link to a post I did a couple of years ago in case of interest about bluebells.


When I went today the Parua Bay Garden Club were visiting the Woods and enjoying a guided tour with John Horrell.





 

One of my favourite trees in the Woods is the crab apple right by the entrance - it is a cloud of pink and white blossom at the moment, and humming with bees - every little cluster of flowers had a bee crawling over it...

  

Melbourne's map of trees

Earlier this year Kevin and I had a short but rewarding holiday in Melbourne and we absolutely loved the city for many and various reasons, including its libraries (the State Library of Victoria is wonderful, and the new Docklands library too) and its trees...

Melbourne has a LOT to recommend it - a city full of handsome buildings with parks and gardens around every corner, free trams in the CBD, brilliant restaurants in Chinatown, little Italy and the Greek precinct, shopping and night markets. Other highlights for us included the Ian Potter Centre of Australian art, the Shrine of Remembrance, the Botanical gardens, the Immigration museum and Kevin also went to the MCG and Sports Museum where he took a (virtual) 4 runs off a Shane Warne over!

Look out for shops full of macarons of every flavour and hue, Kay Craddock Antiquarian Bookseller with a shop full of books and owls (customers buy books and bring owls to add to the collection), the delicatessen at Queen Victoria Markets with gorgeous bread, olives, salami, coffee, chocolate and more, and then there's the trees...

The elms are the oldest in the world now since Dutch Elm disease decimated the northern hemisphere, plus sycamore, oaks, plane trees, gum, pines, palms.  Check out the Urban Forest Visual where each of the city’s 70,000 trees has been mapped with a description of its genus, age and condition – now there’s a city that values its foliage.


Wouldn't it be great to have a map like this for Roland's Wood?

As you scroll down you can read about the steps Melbourne city is taking to increase diversity and reduce risks, which is EXACTLY the same thing that John Horrell is talking about for Roland's Wood.

From the Urban Forest website : 

Increasing diversity

A lack of species diversity leaves the urban forest vulnerable to threats from pests, disease, and stress due to climate change. Currently our urban forest is dominated by eucalypts, planes, elms and gums (corymbias). Many of these trees were planted at the same time during condensed periods of planting activity, and large numbers of elms and planes are now reaching the end of their useful life expectancy.

	37% of planes have a life expectancy of less than 10 years.
	50% of elms have a life expectancy of less than 10 years.

Reducing Risk

Combined with the substantial losses associated with an ageing tree population, myrtle rust and sycamore lace bug are current threats to the Eucalyptus, Corymbia and Platanus genera. Diversification is a basic rule for reducing risk. A greater range of species will provide greater resilience and long-term stability for the forest as a whole.

Anyway, I'd say if you are looking for a place in Australia to visit for a holiday, go to Melbourne!  It is often voted as one of the world’s most liveable cities, and is a Unesco City of Literature too – leaves on branches, leaves in books...

Sophie, full of bounce

It was lovely to meet Sophie, a little Schnauzer, full of bounce and joie de vivre - she comes to the Woods most days with Christine who is looking after her at the moment. 

It was practically impossible to get a photo of this little ball of energy who ran and scampered and investigated here and there, tail wagging all the time - such a happy and busy little dog, most photos were a blur, but here are few in case her owner who is overseas at the moment has a chance to see his canine friend having a great time and being so well looked after... 

 

And doing what dogs love doing at Roland's Wood - finding a friend to run, chase and play with...

Bluebell time is coming

Hello again, poor neglected Roland's Wood blog!  Are there any readers still out there?

It has been months since I posted but I've been getting a few enquiries from Whangarei and Kaitaia about where things are at with the bluebells and so I'm back here to refresh the blog and add a quick bluebell update for "out of towners" who might be thinking of visiting.

I went along to the Woods today, about 5ish so just the end of the sunlight before it went down over the hill, and here are a few photos - the bluebells are definitely starting, clumps of flowers here and there, but not quite the blue haze yet - probably another week or so...

Still in flower are some bright golden daffodils, as well as a variety of magnolia - pale pink, deep magenta, soft creamy lemon, vivid rhododendrons are going strong, and the cinereria are flowering too - purple, pink, violet, white.

Can you help - financially - with mulching the Woods?

ROLAND’S WOOD  needs your help – urgently!  We are seeking financial donations for equipment hire.

We’ve got mountains of mulch, generously donated, now we just need to spread it…  This is beyond a few buckets and willing hands job – it requires the hire of some equipment - a traxcavator. 

The FNDC has said that if we want to mulch the Woods we’ll have to do it ourselves – there is no funding available from them for this project.

Our target is $5,000 - currently we have raised about $550 through donations.

Weather conditions are perfect for spreading the mulch, and now is the time that the plants need it the most.

Why is mulch so important? It is the lifeblood of the Woods.

• It retains precious moisture in the ground.
• It prevents soil erosion, improves soil conditions and plant growth, keeps roots cool
• It suppresses weeds, reducing the need for sprays and labour.
• It is pleasant to walk on.

It is vital to keep adding mulch to maintain what we have already created.

If you would like to make a contribution, please use this Friends of Roland's Wood bank account Westpac : 03 0351 0000790 000 
or contact John Horrell - phone 407 8239

If everyone who used and enjoyed these Woods chipped in a little bit, we’d reach our target quick smart.   If 200 people each put in $25 we'd be sorted, or a 100 people put in $50, or ...

Thank you so much! 

Renga renga lilies coming in to flower

Over the past few years John Horrell and some helpers have planted hundreds, even thousands, of renga renga lilies at Roland's Wood.  These quick-growing, evergreen native lilies are planted for their beauty - dainty nodding clouds of white flowers from November to January, above wide, green, hosta-like leaves - and also planted for their effectiveness in suppressing weeds, but most of all they are there to help protect the trees... How do they do this? Simply, by protecting the trees' roots.

Beech trees are very shallow rooted and this makes them vulnerable in our Northland climate - both in winter when very heavy rains on the steep slopes can wash away the soil around the roots, and in summer when drought can be a problem - our summers are longer, hotter and drier than most English summers. 

Renga renga lilies are hardy and can tolerate shade and sun.  They do have a fearsome adversary in the slugs and snails that feast on their leaves but John says we seem to be very fortunate at Roland's Wood and have not had this problem. 

We have Judith and Bruce Burling to thank for providing many of these plants - they have been propagating and donating renga renga lilies for a few years now and this has been worth a fortune to Roland's Wood. 

Here are a couple of pictures from the Wikipedia page (Creative Commons licence)


Isn't this close up of a single flower exquisite?

Renga renga lilies were cultivated by Maori as a source of food - the fleshy rhizome roots were cooked in a hangi, and the plant also had medicinal uses. Read more here TERRAIN 

Gold amongst the bluebells

These gorgeous golden retrievers are, from left to right, Rana (mother), Bella (one of her daughters), Polly (another of her daughters) and Jenna.   Christine Henderson owns Rana and Bella, and Rosemary and Mike Wright own Polly and Jenna. The Wrights came from Kaitaia especially to see the bluebells and weren't disappointed.

Can't you just imagine stroking those soft floppy silky ears?!

Decorated dandelion dog

Georgie took this picture of Beanie, dressed in dandelion jewellry for her walk in the Woods. 

Comfort for those who have lost a loved dog...

Hi Jeannie,
My wife and I visited Roland's Wood when we were on holiday last year and again this year.

We have three dogs that we take wherever we can and we all enjoyed our time at the Woods.  I do not have any photos worthy enough to be included in your blog but if you have not seen this attachment already you might find it suitable. I do not know who the author might be but for anybody who has experienced the loss of  their dog we think it is very moving.

Kind regards to you and all the Roland's Woods helpers,
Jan, Mike and our three trouble makers - Tibetan Terrier Duffy, Cairn a girl Georgie, and our West Highland White Terrier Robbie.

Thanks for sharing that, Jan and Mike - tugging on the heartstrings of anyone who has lost a loved canine companion...

Beautiful bluebells

A post by John Horrell celebrating the bluebells :

Springtime - lambs and daffodils, longer days and mowing lawns, and here in Kerikeri, the addition of  bluebells (albeit Spanish bluebells) flowering spectacularly in a soft blue haze beneath the bare grey branches of the beech trees. Like everything in nature the exact peak of flowering will vary from season to season, but the bluebells are generally flowering for about 4 - 5 weeks from early September to early October. 

Opinions vary enormously over visitor's favourite seasons in the Woods but every seaon brings its pleasures - Rolands Wood does not suffer from the "winter drab". 
At this stage of the Wood's development  the bluebell season probably wins the popularity stakes, and this may always be the case, but recent plantings will provide interest all year round.

 Photos by David Welch

Newly planted maples with stems ranging from pink to firery red add their own drama and colour in winter months, and massed plantings will feature a range of colours - from bright orange red, through to creamy whites and pinks, which will be spectacular in a few years time.  Hellebores, foxgloves, forget-me-nots, hollyhocks will add colour and drama, reminiscent of the English gardens that Roland loved.

Hey everyone, the bluebells are starting!

 

Wish I were a better photographer...

 

See this earlier post about bluebells - Spanish and English, and their connection to asparagus...

Picnic time in Roland's Wood

Lovely to see the cheerful Sykes family enjoying an early spring picnic supper at Roland's Wood today :-)

 Even ample parking for the transport!

Hatchards at Roland's Wood

It was a pleasure to meet John and Dawn Hatchard at the end of their walk in Roland's Wood late this afternoon, just as the sun was going down...

I said I'd have no problem remembering that surname - John Hatchard is a descendent of the John Hatchard who founded Hatchard's bookshop of Picadilly, London which is where I worked when on my OE in London in the 1980s and happily met my bookseller husband, Kevin.

Hatchards is a special and wonderful bookshop - for reasons as well as romance! It was founded in 1797, and is still going today - London's oldest bookshop, 5 floors of books in an old building, paperbacks "below stairs", children's books on the top floor, with staff who all read and love books...  It is next door to a very smart "grocer's shop" - Fortnum and Mason, and across the road from the Royal Academy.

Read more about Hatchards here from Wikipedia -  "Its origins were founded through a bought collection of merchandise from Simon Vandenbergh, a bookseller of the 18th century. Simon Vandenbergh's grandson, John Vandenbergh Quick was the inventor of the first pop up book and his grandson created the images of Sherlock Holmes and Mother Goose as we know them today in wood carvings."

and here is a link to the (not very exciting) website.

Many of Hatchards customers were rather old school, and one of my favourite stories was from Simon Bainbridge, Front Shop Manager, who had a customer, an old codger in tweeds up to London from the country, doing errands for his wife...  He came into the shop, and reading from his list, asked, "Have you got Face Cream by Elizabeth Arden?"  Bless.

Billy, Jill and compliments

A lovely email came through on Friday from Jill who loves visiting the Woods with her beautiful golden retriever, Billy...

Hi Jeannie

I would like to say how much I love Roland’s Woods, for so many reasons.  The settings , the gardens, the different seasons and the different views, the freedom to walk my dog without issue, the other lovely people and dogs you meet there.

I am not a local but live in Haruru Falls and visit the Woods whenever I can.  So today I managed a short and level walk at the top of the grounds,  I am 6 weeks in recuperating from a big Spinal Op.  I had been wanting to see the beginning of the spring flowers, I was not disappointed.

I enclose a photo of Billy my Golden retriever enjoying with me some early daffodils.  Thanks to all involved in what is such a delight in my life.

Jill

This was such a delight to receive - so glad to have another story to share here on the blog, and who could resist Billy - such a beautiful dog with a backdrop of golden daffodils, like a burst of sunshine on a wintery day...

And about the planting of some trees, and hellebores...

Just a brief follow up post to the previous item about the removal of some trees...  John H. mentioned that over 60 trees have been planted so far this year at Roland's Wood, and that 1,000 hellebores are ready to go in soon...

Here are some notes about hellebores from Wikipedia

• They are particularly valued for their winter and early spring flowering period; the plants are surprisingly frost-resistant and many are evergreen, and are excellent for bringing early colour to shady areas under trees.
• The scientific name Helleborus derives from the Greek name for H. orientalis "helleboros"; "elein" to injure and "bora" food. Many species are poisonous. 
• Hellebores flower in spring time, which in the Northern hemisphere is around the period of Lent, and they are often known as Lenten hellebores, oriental hellebores, or Lenten roses, but they are not related to the rose family.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hellebore#mediaviewer/File:Lenteroos_rood_plant.jpg

About the removal of some trees

I received a query from a couple concerned about the removal of some trees from the Woods, and thought that others may have some questions too, so am posting the query here and my reply here in case of interest:

Thank you for supplying your email address for those who have questions.  This is very kind.  We have a question and we would like to ask the good people from rotary and all other gardeners in Rolands wood without offending them in any way.  Why do they chop all those trees?  Today we noticed more orange ribbons around tree trunks and it looks like more trees will be chopped.  We love Rolands wood and we are there nearly every weekend with our two dogs for the last three years.  And every year we see more and more trees removed and weeds growing instead of English beech trees, tulip trees and oaks.   We think the character of the woods is changing and we are not sure it is for better.  The woods are not woods anymore and English beech woodland is losing its character. Our question is: What is the reason for this mass tree removal?  Thank you Jeannie in advance for passing our question and maybe replaying to this email , we are looking forward to know the answer.

First of all, thank you for your inquiry and for caring enough about the Woods to follow up your concerns.

You are right, there have been some tree removals recently and there are some more trees identified for removal too, but the reasons for this are sound and based on good consultation with experts including arborists and landscape designers.  I have attached here a couple of reports by landscaper Margaret Phillips for your information.  John is just waiting on a report from another independent arborist Roy Hollister.

Unhealthy trees

The trees that have been cut down, and the ones currently tagged, are trees that were / are in bad shape - stressed, dead or dying, or compromising other trees.  They are covered in lichen or sooty mould, they have lost their leaves much earlier than other trees, and they are badly shaped, probably from initial inexpert pruning when they were very young.  If you look at the trees tagged for removal, you'll see yourself that they are not healthy trees.   All removed timber is used for mulch in the Woods.

Overcrowding

In some cases the trees were planted too close together, restricting the amount of light which in turn impacts on plant growth and soil / ecosystem health.  Apparently, a 1% increase in light can result in a 100% increase in plant peformance, with light being even more important than water or soil nutrients.  Roland was in a hurry to get a woodland effect and did mass planting but as the trees have grown they are compromising each other's long term viability.

Suitability of beech

Roland fell in love with beech trees and planted a lot of these trees, along with the bluebells.  However, beech are not naturally found in this climate - it is too humid up here and not cold enough winters, and so as the trees age this "unnatural setting" for them will start to have an impact on their longevity.  By removing the unhealthy trees it will give the others a better chance of thriving.

Roland also planted a huge variety of other trees and flowers, so he never had in mind an exclusively beech woodland - he planted cedars, silkwoods, magnolias, rhododendrons, maples, oaks, ginkos, camellia, azalea, subtropicals, dombeya, lassiandra, bottlebrush, pohutakawa, acmena, and a wide variety of bulbs… It wasn't a purist approach!

Weeds

You mention more weeds becoming apparent but I think you are mistaken on this.  The woods were rescued from a decade of complete neglect - read more about this on the blog under The story of Roland's Wood - when the weeds took over the woods completely.  Kikuyu, gorse, tobacco, kapok - you name it the woods was thick with it, practically impenetrable, and gradually the weeds have been brought under control.  It doesn't help having some very overgrown neighbouring sections which means that weeds get spread by wind to the Woods, but those issues are gradually being addressed.

The Woods may have looked weedy and messy while the tree trimming was happening but a good mow once all the prunings and timber were tidied up made a big difference.

The massive plantings of renga renga lilies, iris, clivia, hydrangea etc and the ongoing labourious process of mulching as much as possible is doing a lot to keep weeds down, enrich the soil and to hopefully reduce future maintenance.  The other advantages of this "understory" planting is both to manage water flows to avoid soil erosion in very heavy rainfalls, and of course, too, for the pleasure of swathes of flowers and interesting foliage to add to the variety through the year.

Next steps

For every tree removed, more are being planted - chosen for suiting our climate and the site as well as being true to Roland's original vision.  New vistas are being opened up and new pathways created which gives people, and dogs, more options for which route to take and which part of the Woods to explore.

I think perhaps it would have been a good idea to explain some of this to people using the woods so they knew what was going on and why, but the overwhelming response from people using the woods regularly over years has been to comment on all the steady improvements - be it access, plant health, variety…   I'll add a post to the blog, and I would like to see some good signage and noticeboard installed at the entrance, but even something as simple as this is complicated by the management structure of the Woods at the moment.

An actual "English beech woodland", left to its own devices to grow "naturally", is just not possible to achieve in Kerikeri.  We have a completely different climate and ecosystem, and so we need to do what we can to maintain the best of Roland's vision - part of which was a healthy beech woodland underplanted with bluebells, but also his vision included a variety of magnolias, lilies, ponds and pathways, autumn colour and so much more for the people and dogs of Kerikeri.

I hope this has answered your question.  If you would like to talk about it more, perhaps contact John Horrell to meet you at the woods one weekend and discuss it with him.  John, who was a friend of Roland's and the instigator of the wood's revival, is passionate about making the woods as enjoyable, interesting, accessible, manageable and sustainable as possible.  He welcomes any input and support.  The Kerikeri Rotary Club are no longer involved in the woods. 

I knew Roland myself a little and imagine that he would be absolutely delighted to see the Woods as they are now, how they are developing, and how they are used and enjoyed by so many. 
Aren't we lucky to benefit from his dream, efforts and generosity?!

Kind regards, Jeannie