If you love whiling away your free time behind a weed eater, chainsaw or tractor – or simply by getting stuck into gardening – you might be able to help out Te Puna Quarry Park.

Park committee vice-president Ian Cross said the non-profit group is running short of volunteers to help in range of outdoor work at the park.

“Over the years we have lost many of our volunteers, particularly the men, and we are having trouble recruiting replacements,” said Cross.

“There is just a small gang of us now looking after the native bush block and doing all the maintenance and heavier work.”

Te Puna Quarry Park started life as a rock quarry in the early-1900s, through until 1979. The Te Puna Quarry Park Society was formed in 1993, and three years later began developing the park into the treasure it is today.

About 25 hectares

The park – located 110 Te Puna Quarry Rd – features 17 special gardens and outdoor artwork to explore, and is open all day, every day, and admission is free.

Cross said volunteers usually meet at the park Tuesday mornings 8.30am-noon, however a smaller group meets Thursday mornings too. “Tuesday morning is our main work day; and the area we are looking after is about 25 hectares.

“Involved in that is a lot of garden maintenance – weeding, pruning and planting – then about half of the area is in native bush. So there’s lots of track maintenance and weed control work in that area, which is quite steep – there’s now only a couple of us looking after it.”

Cross said being such a large park, volunteers have tractors, trucks, chippers, chainsaws and weed eaters at their disposal for maintenance tasks. “We’re currently down to five or six men who regularly show up for this work.”

As a result, the park committee invites anyone who may be able to spare a few hours Tuesdays, Thursdays – or whenever they have time – to give them a call, or simply turn up.

Any time or task!

“There’s a whole range of work to undertake – and particularly some of this is more suited to men. But we’re looking for people who might be interested in any task at all – and when they have time to come. It isn’t an onerous position – you don’t have to show up every week, you just come along when it suits you, even if it’s only once a month.”

To enquire about volunteering at Te Puna Quarry Park, phone Ian Cross on 021 490 609 or Jennifer Day on 021 132 9585.