2026 Community Planting day

Saturday 27^th June 2026 was a hugely significant day for family and friends starting with a dawn ceremony to bless a sculpture of the Oi birds, this sculpture will now take guardianship and protect the Oi (Grey-faced Petrel) which have burrows on our headland.

 After a hearty breakfast we were joined by approximately 80 hardworking volunteers and by mid-day just over 6000 plants were in the ground,

While a delicious hangi lunch was served, we were entertained by Kennedy Warne with a very interesting talk.

Tawapou Farm is protected by a QE11 Open Space Covenant ensuring the perpetual preservation of the entire property. The covenant includes 2kms of pristine coastline which is home to several rare and endangered plant and animal species. This planting links up with the planting on the prominent headland known locally as Taurawhata, which many of you helped plant in 2017. 6500 plants were transported to the site by helicopter. Taurawhata Headland is an environmentally significant area which includes both a northern coastline and a south facing coast, with two small shingle beaches. This now recreates a continuous stretch of coastline native forest spanning over two kilometres.