The decline of the iconic pohutukawa trees lining the Mangonui waterfront, between the wharf and the Four Square, had been a concern for visitors and locals alike over recent years, but they have a much brighter future now.
Photographs from 1933 showed the row of six trees were already an important feature of a much younger Mangonui settlement, but 100 years was relatively young given the potential lifespan of Metrosideris excelsa, conservationist (and Transition Town Kaitaia member) Gill Minogue said.
!['Honeycomb' grids now protect the roots of the pohutukawa on Mangonui's waterfront.](https://www.nzherald.co.nz/resizer/v2/VF24QX5E6XZJKLTDLSY7UMMW3I.jpg?auth=6a26c81c981b883ccd3ea61bfee759e25d377bcb509a138efa5dae56d94b0be4&width=16&height=12&quality=70&smart=true)
As the trees were on the Far North District Council district plan Notable Tree list, the council was legally required to protect their health and to apply certain conditions to any works undertaken in their immediate surroundings.
Poor growth, limited blossoming, and significant epicormic growth and 'dead-wood' recorded over the last five years were all evidence the trees were in urgent need of help.