Fears the historic Napier Hill Cemetery could become treeless in the wake of ongoing felling work have been allayed by the council's parks and reserves manager, Tony Billing.
Historian and Napier Hill resident Peter Wells, who has researched many of the stories centred around the cemetery and who has carried out tours of the site, said he was surprised recently to see tree felling was continuing after such a long period.
Mr Wells said he had not come across the intentions of the cutting "or indeed any holistic idea of how this remarkable garden cemetery is to end up".
He was concerned the council had a vision of "those pallid characterless cemeteries all over New Zealand which lack a single living plant and hence evoke a reign of endless death".
Mr Wells feared the removal of trees would silence the bird and bee life and remove the character and shade of the cemetery.