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.
November 2025 | Two Year Milestone
Today two years ago a on 4th November, a group of enthusiastic volunteers started the seemingly daunting task of taming Public2 section, commonly known as Gum Gully.
Since then, a large number of volunteers have given an enormous amount of time and done some very hard slog to bring this area back to a place of tranquility, and all the plots back to being legible once more. Led by Tim, Philippa and Mark, they have cleared approximately 3.5 hectares of growth from more graves than we have tried to count.
On our anniversary, the team were joined by high school students from Samuel Marsden School, to begin our ‘second pass’ over the area. Our work has turned to combating regrowth and caring for the renga renga plants that we continue to plant as they become available. Philippa reported that on the day, 21 woolsacks were filled and another 50 metres revisited.
We sincerely thank everyone who has helped in Gum Gully and also the cemetery team who collect the green waste for us.
September 2025 | Planting
We’re quickly racing towards completing our first pass of clearing Gum Gully. In the meantime, we’re also planting as Renga Renga plants become available. On Tuesday 30th September, the team planted over 500 plants.
We hosted a working bee for 18 young people and 5 adults representing Youth Search and Rescue (YSAR) Wellington Branch. Their hard work cleared a further 100m of overgrowth from the graves in Gum Gully, and created a small mountain of wool sacks full of green waste.
June 2025 | Working Bees
It’s hard going clearing green waste down near the pylon. Along the way, the team have revealed some lovely headstones that have been hidden from view for some time.
May 2025 | Working Bees
One Tuesday in May, our core team of volunteers was joined by a large group of Victoria University students to help with our bee. The extra workforce was a huge help – especially with moving the waste. And of course, having a large group is always a boost and we had plenty of good quality tools for everyone to use thanks to our Transpower Grant.
A video made by Ignite Consultants who organised the Victoria of University student volunteers is available on Youtube:
May 2025 | Delivery of more Renga Renga plants
April 2025 | Working Bees
Having completed the western section of Public 2, the team moved onto the rows facing Ian Galloway Park. We are working our way down the hill, which makes moving the green waste back up for collection by the cemetery staff very hard work!
March 2025 | Planting Progresses
We have had several deliveries of Renga Renga plants from various sources. They are now filling the plots the team worked so hard to clear. Over the next year they should start to fill out and suppress any regrowth (with a little light maintenance until established).
February 2025 | Sunday Working Bee
We continue to follow along from where the Tuesday Working Bee finishes. By now they had completed Rows L-H working progressively up towards the road. Here we are working in the final three rows before the road called Rows W1-W3 of Public 2.
A video of our February Sunday working bee is available on Youtube:
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 secretary@friendsofkaroricemetery.co.nz 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 secretary@friendsofkaroricemetery.co.nz 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 secretary@friendsofkaroricemetery.co.nz
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 
:
secretary@friendsofkaroricemetery.co.nz
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.