People marvelling at Whangārei’s dazzling Christmas tree may not realise they are looking at a ghost of Christmas past.
Whangārei District Council’s (WDC) previous tree had come to the end of its 10 year lifespan - any hopes of a few extra years dashed by last summer’s weather and vandalism.
However, it lives on via its colourful replacement at Pūtahi Park, in the Town Basin, as it was made using leftovers from the original.
The creative thinking was courtesy of WDC’s venues and events team plus contractor Kyle Telfer from Echo AV.
Venue and events manager Bea Mossop said many of the original tree’s glass baubles had filled with rainwater and crashed to the ground.