Trees take centre stage at Arboretum walk

Enjoy one of the country's greatest collections of native and exotic trees on a guided walk through the William Hall Arboretum in Thames.

The Arboretum is the oldest in New Zealand. It consists of trees from New Zealand and elsewhere selected and planted by William Hall, a pioneering Thames chemist and botanist, in the 1870s.

About 182 of these trees still live and are being looked after with great care by our Parks and Reserves team.

The walk is being led by David Wilton with the assistance of Gretel Boswyjk.

Mr Wilton is a fifth-generation Thamesite, with a background in the physical sciences and IT and an interest in local history and archaeology.

Ms Boswyjk is a senior lecturer in dendrochronology and dendroarchaeology at the University of Auckland's School of Environment.

Dendrochronology is the science of dating trees and timber. It can be used to determine the age of buildings and to study climate change, among other things.

The pair will guide walkers through the Arboretum's collection of nationally and internationally significant trees, which includes the separate Totara species known as Hall's Totara, named in honour of William Hall.

A lot of work has been done recently on the arboretum to make it more attractive and accessible to the community with assistance from Council, volunteers and charities including Forest & Bird.

To honour the man who planted the trees, last October William Hall Reserve was officially renamed William Hall Arboretum.

The walk begins in the Arboretum at Currie St, off Mount Sea Rd, at 10am, Saturday 21 March.

Later in the day, Ms Boswyjk will give a talk on dendrochronology at The Treasury, 705-709 Queen St, Thames, at 1pm.

To find out more about what local walks and bike tracks are around the Coromandel click here.

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