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Welcome to Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves

The Friends of Tawa Bush Reserves is a local environmental care group.  We work to promote and enhance the conservation and long term preservation of bush reserves in Tawa.

We liaise with the Wellington City Council to achieve these aims.

Follow Friends of Tawa Bush

Friends of Tawa Bush landing page, junior bellbird on a branch

Have you experienced a walk-through of all the well preserved native bush reserves that Tawa has to offer?

We are so privileged to have these within our suburb!

Here’s why our native bush matters – in pictures

Ensuring that the indigenous bush reserves of Tawa remain an inspiration and joy for today’s citizens, and for future generations

Gil Roper 20/07/1943 – 26/02/2023

Gil Book Launch Redwood Bush 18 Oct 2022
Gilbert at the celebration of his book Redwood Bush Tawa

A very special Friends of Tawa Bush member, major contributor to this site, editor of many a newsletter, and provider of hugely informative guided walks. Gil is much missed by all, after his passing in February following a brief illness.

Gil’s obituary is available to read here

What We Provide

Guardianship

We undertake active guardianship on matters concerning the indigenous bush reserves of Tawa

Regular working bees

Members and school groups participate to improve the public access tracks, to undertake tree planting, weeding around planted trees, or pest plant removal

photo of four flowering native plants

Education & Knowledge

We encourage interest, use, and research into the historical, cultural, scientific, ecological, botanical and recreational aspects of the bush areas of Tawa

Recent Highlights

Come join in

Our Upcoming Events

Bring along your gloves and lend a hand tending our native taonga


Sunday Working Bee

1:30 – 4:00pm

14th May 2023

Forest of Tawa

weeding (lower FOT)

58 Kiwi Crescent, Tawa

Tuesday Working Bee

1:30 – 4:00pm

23rd May 2023

Forest of Tawa

tree planting (upper FOT)

meet at Colonial Reserve carpark, Broken Hill Road, Porirua by 1.30pm for travel in convoy to Meridian Road

Willowbank Reserve Care Group

9.30 am – 12 Noon

1st & 3rd Thursday of each month

Willowbank Reserve

weeding

Meet at Willowbank Reserve carpark


12,516

residents in Tawa

>14,000

plants in the ground

11

reserves

41

pests caught (this year)


Did you know…

Massive Tawa live here

Tawa is reputed to have the biggest Tawa tree in the Wellington region. Do you know where this tree is in Redwood Bush? It’s trunk girth at chest height is 3.14m!

We saved huge Matai trees

Have you seen the huge matai trees in Larsen Crescent Reserve that were saved by local residents from being felled at the time of housing development?

We have mature Nikau

Nikau are the only endemic palm that grows in our NZ native bush and the southern-most palm in the world. The only Tawa reserve to contain mature nikau is Wilf Mexted Reserve.


Guided Walks

If you would like to take part in a guided walk through one of our gems of native reserves, please feel free to contact us

Books on Tawa Reserves (by Gil Roper)

Redwood Bush Tawa Gil Roper book cover 2022
Book Tawa tree community reserves by Gil Roper
Book Cover Tawa Parks and Reserves by Gil Roper

(Click on the covers for more detail)


Reserves and Walks

“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than they seek.” 

John Muir

Find us on Facebook

The Tawa Area – Then and Now

View over Tawa Flat with the Porirua-Johnsonville Motorway, Linden Primary School and the communities of Raroa Park, Linden, Tawa and Redwood, Wellington City. Whites Aviation Ltd: Photographs. Ref: WA-47281-F. Alexander Turnbull Library, Wellington, New Zealand. /records/30633703 & Google Earth Image 2021

Thanks to Gil Roper for the research and content contributed to this site

Other sites to explore