APRIL 2024
Events Programme May 2024
7th Wanderers’ walk. This week is Bird Week. Birds are a subject of special interest to Elise Smith. Elise will lead us through the Park focusing on the birds whose habitat it is, and their food sources.
16th Committee meeting
21st Wanderers’ walk. Curator’s walk. Sheryl Clyma will meet us at the Bellringer Pavilion at 10:30 will cover the practical side of growing cuttings with some material available for the friends to take home and try to propagate for the plant sales.
23rd Evening Meeting Thursday’s speaker. Alan Metcalfe, member of the Friends and volunteer buggy driver, will give an informative historical address re the Park in the early days, noting the 150th anniversary of the founding of the Park is 2025.
Review of April's Events
Wanderers' Walk April 2, 2024
Lead - Glyn Church
24 walkers and 2 dogs enjoyed a beautifully mild day 2nd April 2024, for a wander through the Park with Glyn - this man is a mass of interesting information, history and plants alike.
Glyn thinks we have the mildest climate in the world - he actually means the coastal strip of Taranaki, in his words, it's very good for growth, with fertile free draining soil.
A study undertaken recently found we can grow anything in Taranaki, but nothing well! Meaning we do not specialize in any one product - our diversity.
Therefore we are a "Jack of all trades but a master of none".
Also drawn to our attention was the diversity of plants from many different nations.
The Japanese garden is a picture at the moment, beginning to look extremely tailored and clipped - well worth a visit.
The walk took us past the lake, up to the azalea dell, then back around to the Fernery.
Thank you Glyn for a relaxing informative walk.
Below are a few snaps taken on the day
Wanderers' Walk 16 4 2024
Lead - Derek Hughes
17 of us joined Derek Hughes (photographer) on an amble through the Park today. Autumn is such a perfect time for colours and patterns.
The attached photos I am including reluctantly – they do not compare to those Derek produces! He gave us helpful tips for camera settings and angles and we focussed on light, shadows, sky, reflections and framing of subjects for the photos. Derek certainly sees the Park through a different lens and we were grateful for the expertise he shared.
It was a relaxed morning. The sun came and went (often too quickly of our lens) and seeing the kids on holiday, grandparents and parents made for an especially enjoyable morning.
Brooklands Zoo Events
by Eve Cozzi – Brooklands Zoo Lead
Brooklands Zoo is a popular destination, attracting more than 135,700 visitors in 2023. We are a community-focused facility that holds daily keeper talks and school group bookings for talks, projects, and tours. We also accept several high schools, UNITEC, and university students for work experience placements. Through regular family-focussed events such as Kaitiakitanga (Guardian of the Earth) Back to School Day, the zoo educates families about pest control and how to make sustainability choices through games, puzzles, giveaways, and workshops.
Friends of Pukekura Park Membership Application Form
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Our mailing address is:
Friends of Pukekura Park
PO BOX 484
New Plymouth, Taranaki 4340
New Zealand