Source: Auckland Council
The ancient trees of Albert Park watched over the arrival of four newcomers in Victoria Street East last week – between Lorne Street and Albert Park.
Completion of the greening of this section of Victoria Street is close.
Four trees were crane-lifted from trucks, taking their positions in new street-side seating areas. The trees – pūriri, pōhutukawa, titoki and rewarewa – are another visual symbol of the transformation Aucklanders are seeing in midtown’s station neighbourhood.
Auckland Council’s midtown regeneration programme is ensuring the area will be ready when the City Rail Link (CRL) and Te Waihorotiu Station open.
Widened footpaths, a dedicated cycleway, fewer traffic lanes, new art, new trees and landscaped resting places along the redesigned sections of Victoria Street are seeing the street reflect its te reo Māori name.
Te Hā Noa is a name gifted by mana whenua. Te Hā is about life’s essence – to breathe – and Noa is about being free in the journey to experience your surroundings.
Mana whenua also guided the design of the new terraced tree pits, referencing the geology and forms of Tāmaki Makaurau.
Tree pits are designed to support the city’s stormwater drainage system. Surface rainwater disperses into the pits, where it irrigates the trees and filters water before it flows to the sea. They are also designed to keep the trees safe from heavy equipment and vehicles and allow them to flourish for years to come.
By the end of May people will see the area finished, with uplighting of trees and almost 600 new plants greening the gardens at street level.
There are 16 benefits of trees cited in Auckland Council’s Urban Ngahere (Forest) Strategy.
Here are four:
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The cooling effect of trees, as a result of evapo-transpiration, reduces the urban heat island effectand enhances resilience to an increasing number of hot days (>25°C), one of the projected impacts of climate change. In simple terms, it’s a process where a plant cools itself by sweating water vapour through the pores in its leaves, lowering the temperature of the air.
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Trees reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere through sequestering carbon in new growth. One tonne of carbon stored in wood is equivalent to removing 3.67 tonnes of CO2 from the atmosphere.
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Trees improve air quality by removing air pollutants. A 2006 study estimated that Auckland’s urban trees remove 1320 tonnes of particulates, 1230 tonnes of nitrogen dioxide and 1990 tonnes of ozone.
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Studies have shown that trees intercept around 15% of the rain that falls on their canopy, depending on a tree’s species and architecture.
In time, Te Hā Noa will form a green link across the city, linking two much-loved city parks – Rangipuke / Albert Park and Waikōkota / Victoria Park.
Read more about the completion of the first section of Victoria Street – between Elliott Street and Queen Street at OurAuckland.
