A few years ago, it was a wilderness of vines which climbed over everything in sight. It took us 3 months to clear them away. Now, in August 2025, some of the trees have died of a disease which we think is a version of phytopthora, the pathogen that causes kauri dieback.

We have to confirm that, and also see about removing the dead and diseased trees. We'll need commercial help. The trees are too big for us to handle. We don't have the equipment or the expertise for the job.

We cleared the weeds away from the plants ready for spraying, and then had morning tea. There was a good turnout today, so morning tea was early without the usual help from the weather.