Pōhutukawa tree along Tauranga waterfront poisoned twice in under a year
A pōhutukawa tree on the Tauranga waterfront has been targeted by vandals twice in one year using diesel and petrol. Despite the damage, the tree has survived due to the intervention of local arborists and the care of concerned residents.
Why it matters
It highlights local community efforts to protect urban green spaces and the ongoing issue of environmental vandalism.
An “expensive, beautiful” pōhutukawa tree next to a popular waterfront walkway has been poisoned twice in less than a year.
The poisoned tree was one of three 3-metre-high pōhutukawa planted by Tauranga City Council along the harbourfront Beach Rd walkway during streetscaping work in August last year.
A Matua couple, who asked not to be named for safety reasons, said two of the trees had never been touched and were now “standing tall and proud” at about 10m high.
However, they said the third tree was given a large dose of diesel in November last year, and petrol was poured around its trunk earlier this month. The tree has so far survived the poisonings.
The woman said when the tree was first poisoned, her husband was so concerned that he carried buckets of water across the road to pour over it “day and night” for two weeks.
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