Enjoy one of the country’s greatest collections of native and exotic trees on a guided walk through the William Hall Arboretum in Thames New Zealand. Sources: Scoop Media, Timberbiz
The Arboretum is the oldest in New Zealand and consists of trees from New Zealand and elsewhere selected and planted by William Hall, a pioneering Thames chemist and botanist in the 1870s.
About 182 of these trees still live and are being looked after with great care by our Parks and Reserves team.
David Wilton will lead the walk with assistance from Gretel Boswyjk.
Mr Wilton is a fifth-generation Thamesite, with a background in the physical sciences and IT and an interest in local history and archaeology.
Ms Boswyjk is a senior lecturer in dendrochronology and dendroarchaeology at the University of Auckland’s School of Environment.
Dendrochronology is the science of dating trees and timber. It can be used to determine the age of buildings and to study climate change, among other things.
The pair will guide walkers through the Arboretum’s collection of nationally and internationally significant trees, which includes the separate Totara species known as Hall’s Totara, named in honour of William Hall.
A lot of work has been done recently on the arboretum to make it more attractive and accessible to the community with assistance from Council, volunteers and charities including Forest & Bird.
To honour the man who planted the trees, last October William Hall Reserve was officially renamed William Hall Arboretum.
