Axe looms over historic trees at Coronation Park, Mount Maunganui

Veteran tour operator John Mathieson and the trees threatened by construction of Mount Maunganui's visitor information centre.

An historic grove of native New Zealand trees could be felled if Mount Maunganui's planned $5 million visitor information centre is built on the preferred site in Coronation Park.

The significance of the trees on the corner of Maunganui Rd and Nikau Cres in the Mount downtown has been revealed by tour operator John Mathieson.

It represented another setback to the council's preferred corner site after the Port of Tauranga declined to allow a new port gate for cruise ship passengers to open directly onto Coronation Park. Passengers would have had to walk through a port operating area.

Mr Mathieson's bid to save the trees was supported by the Tauranga Historic Society and Tauranga Forest and Bird.

His submission to the council's 2017-18 Annual Plan said that the preferred site was occupied by an outstanding and historic grove of native trees.

"There is no comparable planting of a grove of major notable native trees within the town centre or the wider Mount Maunganui area."

He said the creation of the park on land that once held railway workshops coincided with the coronation of King George VI in 1937, hence Coronation Park.

The planting of the unique grove of trees and the pohutukawa trees on the northern side of the park was made to commemorate the occasion.

Mr Mathieson said the trees in the grove included kauri, totara, rimu, puriri, rewarewa and tarata.

He also opposed the alternative location proposed for the visitor centre - the former visitor information centre in Salisbury Ave next to the police station.

"This is away from the main thoroughfare. A basic centre costing $4m or an iconic centre costing $5m can only be justified if it is located in a prominent and visible location."

Mr Mathieson said the landmark centre should go on the Maunganui Rd frontage of Coronation Park about halfway between the historic plantings and the pohutukawa.

''This site would still be on the bus route and provide parking along the full length of the park frontage."

He was happy to dispense with the park's pond, saying it was dirty and could be replaced by someone donating a waterfall or fountain.

Mr Mathieson said he was the only remaining tour operator from the time that cruise ships began coming to Tauranga.