Auckland's Cornwall Park a 'bomb site' after storm fells several giant trees

Thursday, 12 April 2018

Giant trees were uprooted in Auckland's Cornwall Park after the powerful storm on Tuesday night.

Hurricane-force gusts brought down hundreds of trees across Auckland in Tuesday night's storm, with many snapping power lines or blocking roads.

Most will be mulched, chain-sawed, or hacked up for firewood, but perhaps none will be mourned as much as the trees that up-ended in Epsom's Cornwall Park.

Park director Michael Ayrton said he woke on Wednesday morning to see the park – a popular destination for Aucklanders since its inception in 1901 – looking like a 'bomb site'.

'There was a vast amount of debris strewn about the park and a number of large mature trees up-rooted or snapped off as well.'

More than 50 Cornwall Park trees were badly damaged during Tuesday night's storm.

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Gusts up to 140kmh ripped trees out of the ground by the roots, or snapped trunks clean off.

He said the storm claimed several of the park's larger trees, including gums, eucalyptus, oaks, and olives.

They ranged in age from 80 years old to a 30 metre-tall radiata pine which was more than 140 years old.

'We didn't expect the ferocity of the storm; we knew we were in for a buffeting but we didn't expect 140kmh wind gusts,' he said.

'Six of our larger trees up-ended or snapped like matchsticks, and well over 50 others were damaged or partially damaged.'

Ayrton said the trees had been part of the park for a very long time.

'We're saddened to lose the trees but were relieved that the storm occurred at night, when the park was closed so there was no damage to people or property.'

The park, which is home to more than 8000 trees, was closed on Wednesday and Thursday while arborists checked remaining trees for structural damage and contractors cleared the fallen vegetation.

Consulting arborists Arborlab said each tree would then need a new risk assessment to see how likely they were to topple over in the future.

The exact number of trees which fell across the region was unknown, but Auckland Council said since Tuesday, it had received 1070 calls relating to downed trees.

That did not include the multitude of trees dealt to by fire crews, lines company Vector, private arborists or those removed by residents.