Removal of pohutukawa trees from Auckland waterfront road for cycleway labelled 'appalling'

January 9, 2018

Supporters of the Urban Tree Alliance say the trees are history but Auckland Transport says they'll be replanted in the city centre.

The removal of pohutukawa trees along the road around Auckland's waterfront to make way for a cycleway extension has tree supporters appalled.

Auckland Transport tweeted this afternoon that people might have noticed some trees being removed for the Quay St Cycleway extension. 

"Don't worry, all of these pohutukawa are being replanted in the city centre," the council agency added.

The Quay Street Cycleway will be extended from the intersection with Plumer Street to just before The Strand, AT said.

1 NEWS video shows a tree prepared for removal in the Quay St median strip, near Spark Arena.

The Urban Tree Alliance NZ issued an "urgent call to action" on its Facebook pag e. 

"Some have been prepared for replanting. Some in the centre have gone. We are following up," the group wrote. 

Commenting on the Tree Alliance post Celia Fowler wrote: "People have managed to cycle around the waterfront for years without destroying our trees. Replacement is not the answer, these are history, they are years old. 

"Most would rather see these trees than bums on bikes, these are beautiful old trees that light up our summer days with their red flowers - come on AT."

Nale Elan simply wrote: "They'll die."

And Marie-Louise Ward wrote: "Idiotic transplanting trees in the middle of summer. Equally idiotic removing them anyway."

Gael Baldock of the group Occupy Garnet Road, which fought the removal of trees in that area, says she's appalled "that our urban treescape needs to be sacrificed for cycleways".

She says the group doesn't believe AT has suitably consulted the community before taking out mature trees and small trees that replaced them in that area are now dead because of the heat.

Ms Baldock says the root bowl being taken with the Quay St trees for replanting is too small, especially in such a hot summer.

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