We have had several groups contact us this year offering to help at Manawa Karioi. The most recent group was Tuia te Here Tangata, who were staying at Tapu Te Ranga marae. In the space of one hour, the 15 or so volunteers had cleared a wide stretch of gorse from the track that connects Manawa Karioi to the top of Rhine St. This track has always been a bit of a problem to keep clear, and is earmarked for a major planting session or two next year.
Next, it was off to do some planting with the small amount of trees left over at the end of the planting season, including a couple of rata. These were put in at one of the viewpoints looking out over the valley below.
We welcome any groups who want to help us out; it can be a great team-building exercise or just a way to contribute something practical to the project. Groups of 5-10 are ideal, although we can cater for up to 15 at a time. From May-August most jobs involve planting, for the rest of the year it is mostly track maintenance work. Mostly we take groups on weekends, but with enough notice we can usually accomodate groups on week days. Contact us if you are keen!