It seemed a bit early to be planting the reserve as usually happens in July but this Sunday was designated Riverpark Reserve native tree planting day and David had emailed me saying my Dad must do penance for chucking weeds in the reserve. Well since Dad was at MOTAT driving trams for Live Day it was down to me to atone for the sins of my father.
I asked Mum to come along and we got into our gumboots. I didn't expect her to do any planting since digging is a bit beyond her but she did help pick up pots. However she did a tiger mum thing which was not so much directing my planting but growled at me for not walking all the way back to find her after I had finished. I am an adult and so is she and both of us can make our own way back home but when I got back she threw a big fit and said she could have died out there and I didn't care about her.
Honestly. There were not wild tigers lurking in the reserve out to eat her. Just friendly neighbours! Maybe the reserve grass area WAS a bit muddy but Mum isn't at the walker stage of decrepitude yet. What was she expecting, me to hold her hand?
Anyway, I couldn't answer all the accusations of being selfish...I WAS tired and hungry by the time we had finished and didn't fancy walking in the opposite direction of home, just so mum could hold my hand. This time the park rangers did not put on a bbq and sausage sizzle for us. But that's ok, we all have our own homes to go back to and it isn't too far. I caught up with a few neighbours and one boy who went to Waitakere Primary who said he was having pizza when he got home. He said they did have a garden at school. I kept remarking every time I dug a hole to plant a tree that maybe this time I would find the gold. (I had to keep him motivated!). There was a small shower at one point but otherwise the weather was fine, warm and not windy. The ground was soft so it was as perfect planting conditions as could be expected.
We had to keep going and just when we thought we finished a section there would be more to plant. We started from 93 and planted all along the creekside until we reached the field. David had done a great job sourcing and growing all these natives for us. There were titoki, manuka, coprosma, kawakawa, flaxes, nikau, kahikatea, pohutakawa, koromiko...though I noticed tree ferns were missing. On the other side of the creek which was Massey they had ferns but I suspected as that side was South facing they would have got more shade.
Anyway not liking leaving a job half done we persevered and did our muddy high fives at the end. Every plant planted hooray! So that's three years of planting we've done so far and there's only a bit more to go for next year. Am so happy for our Riverparkers. You guys are great. Let's keep New Zealand Beautiful. ✋😍
