Timaru's new Christmas tree has arrived, location to be revealed

Monday, 20 November 2023

The district council’s preferred location for Timaru’s new $130,000 Christmas tree is the Caroline Bay Piazza.

Timaru’s new $130,000 Christmas tree has arrived in town, but its display location will remain a surprise until contractors start erecting the tree on Tuesday morning.

The purchase of the festive tree, confirmed by the Timaru District Council in June, was part of the council’s plan to spend $1 million on “quick wins” after an admission that there had been very little visible progress in the CBD as a result of the CityTown trials.

The original plan was to place the tree on the Caroline Bay Piazza to tie it in with the town’s annual carnival.

However, in September, district council group manager infrastructure Andrew Dixon said a structural assessment of the “desired location’’ was being undertaken, and Strathallan Corner’s raised grass area had been identified as an alternative site for the tree.

The 9.1-metre-tall tree weighs 901kg, which increases to between 1200kg and 1500kg when it is decorated.

Council communications manager Stephen Doran confirmed that the tree arrived last week and was stored in its packing crate in a warehouse.

Arborist John Baxter puts Timaru's Christmas star on top of the “Champagne” tree in November 2018. The tree towered over Timaru.

On Monday, Doran confirmed plans were in place to erect the state-of-the-art tree in Timaru on Tuesday morning, but the final location would not be revealed to the community until work started.

In April 2021, it was announced that Timaru’s Christmas star would need a new home after former mayor Damon Odey advised that its placement atop the town’s former “Champagne” tree would become an issue given issues with site access.

The landmark, 34m-tall tree had towered over the Wai-iti Rd property it sat on each Christmas from 2003, and the star could be admired by passers-by.

The news that the tree would no longer host the star, coupled with a decision not to hold the long-running Caroline Bay carnival or Christmas parades that year, threatened to derail the town’s festive traditions altogether.

However, a new home was found, and the star sat atop the training tower at the Timaru fire station in Latter St in 2021 and 2022.

Timaru’s Christmas star lights up the night from the fire station training tower in 2022.

In March 2022, the “Champagne” tree was cut down.

Doran said the star would not be going on the new tree as it was too big, and he expected it was likely to be placed at the fire station again.