A damaged kauri surrounded by slashed and uprooted kawakawa at Mary Barrett Glade. Photo: Supplied / Anne McMillan
Locals are furious about suspected bottle fossickers vandalising a popular park on Auckland's North Shore.
Anne McMillan says she and other members of Restoring Takarunga Hauraki were horrified to discover 30 kawakawa trees had been slashed at Mary Barrett Glade in late September.
The volunteer group regularly visited the area to remove pest weeds.
"Everyone was quite distraught.
"Some of [the trees] were ripped out completely. Most of them won't survive."
Two weeks later, McMillan said the ground around three kauri and a tōtara was dug up.
She said those trees had a better chance of survival, but she was concerned about kauri dieback.
"They are big trees with a lot of roots underground.
"But that area doesn't have any kauri dieback because we're careful not to bring anything in that would hurt the kauri."
Bottle fossickers are thought to have dug up native trees at the Devonport park. Photo: Supplied / Anne McMillan
She said the volunteer group was given permission by the Department of Conservation (DOC) to replace the soil around the trees last week.
She wanted to see those responsible convicted.
DOC Auckland mainland operations manager Rebecca Rush believed the site was targeted by people hunting for antique bottles for their personal collection or to sell to bottle collectors.
She said the fossicking had destroyed plants and disturbed the archaeological site of an old brickworks that operated from 1875 until the mid-1930s.
"We're extremely disappointed about the damage that has occurred.
"They have really dug down into the soil exposing tree roots and piles of broken pipes and bricks."
She said DOC was working as fast as it could to repair the damage and get the area back to what it was before.
"There's quite a lot of checks and balances we need to work through before we actually go in and start remediating the site.
"It's in the Auckland Unitary Plan as a heritage site and there's requirements under Heritage New Zealand legislation we have to make sure we're meeting.
"We're working as fast as we can to make sure we're doing the right thing. As soon as we've figured that all out we'll be on the ground doing repairs.
"Our intention is to possibly put in some processes to ensure we have better surveillance of any future fossicking that might occur."
Rush acknowledged the area had sentimental value to many.
"The trees were planted by a woman who has been a champion of conservation in the local area," she said.
Mabel "Polly" Pollock’s grandson wants DOC to act quicker to restore the forest she created. Photo: Supplied / Paul Barrett
"We've heard from family members raising concerns about the damage that has occurred and wanting to understand the process the department will be taking to repair the damage and wanting that process to be as swift as possible."
Paul Barrett wanted more done to protect the glade of native trees, which were planted by his grandmother Mabel "Polly" Pollock.
He said Pollock spent the last 20 years of her life creating the memorial for her daughter, who died from bowel cancer.
"She worked from dawn to dusk with her hand tools and in her jandals to transform wasteland into the beautiful park and walking track we have today."
Many locals knew the glade as 'Polly's Park'.
Barrett, who helped his grandmother with the project during summer holidays, said he had offered to get a group of volunteers together to fix the damage but was refused by DOC.
He was frustrated it had taken several weeks to only put soil over the roots.
Barrett said Pollock, who died in 2012, would be fighting hard for the trees.
"DOC says their hands are tied. They basically haven't lifted a finger.
"I don't know how much historical importance the former brickworks has but it seems to be really important to Heritage New Zealand.
"I know there's also a pre-colonial history there. I'm not wanting to step on anyone's toes but I just feel that the forest Polly established is really the living treasure there.
"That's the main value there for people's enjoyment and wellbeing."
DOC would not provide a timeframe for when repairs would be completed.
It said illegal digging and removal of historic materials on public sites was a problem across the country, most recently on the West Coast of the South Island.
"Taking items, including bottles, is stealing from local heritage and in some cases, affecting the tourism experience," Rush said.
DOC asked the public to report any suspicious activity in local parks, along with information such as photos and vehicle number plates.
Rush warned fossickers could face a $60,000 fine for their actions.
Heritage New Zealand and Ngāti Whātua have been contacted for comment.
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