Volunteers improve Rod Donald hut

Many thanks to our incredible volunteers from the Christchurch office of Jacobs – the international engineering firm –  who cheerfully slaved away at a recent working bee to improve the Rod Donald Hut access track by clearing back the gorse, planting trees and lugging gravel up the track.

Thanks to Sophie Hartnell from Banks Peninsula Conservation Trust for organising a great day, David Brailsford the Rod Donald Hut manager for chainsawing gorse like there was no tomorrow, and Living Streams Community Nursery for supplying healthy plants.

Walkers visiting Rod Donald Hut will find a huge improvement in the access track. The gorse has been chopped back and trees planted by our volunteers will shade it out as they grow.

We’ve got a new People Power scheme for you to enjoy too – Gravel as You Travel  – enables hut users to sprinkle a little gravel on muddy track patches when they walk out. Thanks to Diamond Harbour entrepreneur Pete Ozich for dreaming up and pioneering this wonderful idea for many hands to make light work.

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Hurling cut gorse off the track takes some tough workers!

The team coming behind poisoning gorse stumps and clearing weeds around trees planted last year are hard at it too (apart from smiling for photos)


An unexpected bonus - volunteer Weeks finds a golden egg!


Phew - Lunch back at the hut!


Afternoon is planting time


Gravel as You Travel - that's a great idea!


Lugging gravel up the track is harder than these cheery volunteers make it look.


Hi Ho Hi Ho - the munchkins get to go! All the jobs are done and on the dot of time. Well organised Sophie and well done team.


Just the obligatory team photo at the hut to do. Thanks Jacobs and BPCT for a fantastic day!