

It has been dubbed a new 'cloak' for Christchurch's Port Hills.

An ambitious plan to replant millions of trees on the fire-ravaged Port Hills kicked off today, after last year's fires ripped through nearly 2000 hectares of trees and farmland - undoing years of hard toil put in by tree-planting volunteers.

When you look around the Port Hills, there are large gaps where trees used to stand. Only stumps now remain - a vivid reminder of the damage caused by the Port Hills fires.

The Te Tapuwae O Rakau Trust wants to change that by replanting 10 million trees over the next 20 to 30 years. The trust made a start today - planting 40 cabbage trees at the Christchurch Adventure Park.

Te Tapuwae O Rakau Trust chairman Phillip Duval said they were setting their sights high.

"We're not only just focusing on the [Christchurch Adventure Park]. We've got plans right through the Port Hills. The Port Hills are a huge tract of land, so that's where the 10 million trees comes from. In fact, 10 million trees may be a fraction of what's required over time."

Photo: RNZ/Dan Dalgety

Port Hills MP Ruth Dyson said people became interested in restoring the Port Hills to its former glory after seeing the devastation.

Photo: RNZ/Dan Dalgety

A silver lining to the whole episode was the possibility that there might end up being more native trees on the hills than before the fires, she said.

"The Port Hills is still pretty bare. We lost a lot of trees during the fires, of course, from around the [Christchurch Adventure Park] - so that's a huge amount of trees lost, but they weren't native trees.

"What we're going to be planting at [the Christchurch Adventure Park] and over the Port Hills is a restoration of the original Port Hills vision."

Christchurch Adventure Park owner Anne Newman said the area was slowly starting to regenerate.

"It's incredible, even in the course of a year, the amount of trees that have come back, the natural growth that's come back has been great. To be able to give it a helping hand - put some native plants back in - is the best thing we can do for the longevity of the Port Hills and the forest itself."

Students from local schools were on hand to help out in what many consider to be the city's playground, with Ben Ellis one of those who was hard at work.

"I really want to see the [Christchurch Adventure Park] covered with trees again. It will definitely add to the experience. It was definitely more getting away for the city. It felt like you were in nature, very embedded in nature."

Mr Duval said the trust was trying to raise funds from every available avenue because the trees did not come cheap.

"Well, I'd like to think we could plant 10 million [trees], but it does depend on funding. We have to buy the trees or we have to propagate the trees, and that's not an easy task. I'm hopeful, I'm optimistic, and I'm very positive about the potential to achieve our goals."

Those wanting to lend a hand restoring the Port Hills will have a chance next month with 500 more trees ready and waiting to be planted.