In November 2023, a group of volunteers led by the Friends began work to manage vegetation growth in the area known as Gum Gully or Public2 section. Since then we have successfully cleared a large area, opening up sight lines and ensuring headstones are visible once more.
We have a vision that the area will be a green and managed space with low level native planting as the area sits mid way between Zealandia and Ōtari-Wilton’s Bush. With the permission of the cemetery manager, we have begun to plant Renga Renga lilies as a mass planting and sown seed donated to us by members of our community for this project. Over the next year or two this should reduce the regrowth of weeds and saplings and provide significant visual appeal.
Below is a record of our progress.
December 2024 | Transpower Grant
The Friends of Karori Cemetery are pleased to announce that we have been awarded a grant from the Transpower CommunityCare Fund. The fund sponsors community projects within 2km of their overhead power lines.
We have received the very generous sum of $15,000 for use in our Gum Gully project which seeks to clear the weeds and overgrowth, and to plant the native Renga Renga lily to help manage long term regrowth.
The money will be used to add to our tool supply and to purchase plants, in addition to those plants and seed that have already been kindly donated to us.
September 2024 | Starting to plant
It’s taken nearly a year of clearing, and now we’re ready to start planting in Gum Gully (Public2 section).
Thanks to the hard work of all of our working bee volunteers, the ground is ready and on Friday we started with the Renga Renga plants (Arthropodium cirratum) that people have kindly donated to us. The Renga Renga seed that everyone collected for us will be sown in a few weeks time.
We have started at the southern end of the central row and only in plots that we have permission to plant in from the Cemetery office.
So what do you think? Let us know when you start to see them establish.
September 2024 | Comparison
Well after several weeks of rain and cancellations, we had a beautiful day on Tuesday to continue with this project and a great crowd too. If you would like to join us to help out at a future bee, please email [email protected] to find out more.
Here are some ‘before and after’ photos from Tuesday morning. Thanks team 
July 2024 | Progress
Since our trusty group of volunteers started working in Gum Gully in November 2023, we have:
worked over 702 person hours
broken 3 rakes
found one rusty saw
acquired two new rakes and mended two more
lost one spade and found a tatty one
consumed over 200 blueberry muffins
removed countless blackberry thorns
and had many hours of happy chat, jokes, good will and friendship
So what do you think? Do you like the transformation?
Music I use: Bensound
License code: O7SBHVYV97WU2RGE
June 2024 | Renga Renga Lily Planting Plan
The Gum Gully working bees have been making good progress and after 6 months of steady work, around half of the area has been cleared.
We are delighted to announce that we have now had approval for our proposed planting plan, largely using the native Renga Renga lily as a mass planting over some of the cleared area, with the aim of establishing these plants over the next year or two which should reduce the regrowth of weeds and saplings and provide significant visual appeal.
Public support for our call for Renga Renga seeds in April was phenomenal. We aimed for 50,000 seeds and have been given around 1,500,000 (estimated by weighing not by a physical count, otherwise we would still be counting).
Some of these seeds have been sown in small containers at volunteers’ homes and are doing well, but the intention is to grow them on and plant them in spring.
If any supporters have the time, energy and interest to sow some more seed now and give us the seedlings in spring we would be delighted, and clearly we can provide the seed without problem. If you would like to do this, please email [email protected] or send a Facebook message and we will get back to you.
Again next season, we may ask for more seed for the following year or plants thinned out of supporters gardens, so watch this space.
Meanwhile, there is lots to do to get ready for spring …
February 2024 | Progress
Some of our lovely volunteers would like to keep working on tackling the growth in Gum Gully, even though Tuesday is a public holiday! If you too can spare a few hours of your time volunteering this Tuesday then we would love to see you.
We will be there for three hours but there is no commitment to stay the whole time.
If you have any questions, let us know below in the comments or email [email protected]
December 2023 | Progress
Look at this happy and hardworking group who represent our Tuesday Working Bees team in Gum Gully. If you’ve walked through there recently, you can’t have failed to notice the transformation – all thanks to them. 
There are two more bees scheduled before Christmas: on 12th and 19th December. Bees will then resume on 16th January. There is no commitment to come to every bee, nor to stay for the whole three hours. Bring your own refreshments 
(as you can see demonstrated). You will be more than welcome.
If you would like to find out more or where to meet to join them, please email 
:
November 2023 | Starting Up
Starting Tuesday 7 November, we will be commencing a programme of weekday working bees, primarily to tackle the growing issue of seedlings emerging in Public2 (Gum Gully). These seedlings, if not checked, will soon become a problem to remove and an ongoing issue for the historic graves. We are seeking keen volunteers to help assist us removing these seedlings on a weekly basis.