Protest group Save our Kauri says it is doing everything it can to save the tree after it was ring-barked on Wednesday morning.

A protester who spent 12 days up a West Auckland kauri tree came down after it was ringbarked, and was charged with trespass.

Arborist Johno Smith climbed into the canopy of the kauri on Patuaroa Rd at dawn on December 11 after attempts were made to chop it down.

But on Wednesday, a group of eight people, two armed with chainsaws, gained access to the trunk of the kauri to ring bark it in an apparent attempt to kill it.

PETER MEECHAM/STUFF Signs at the site of the kauri tree in Titirangi, West Auckland, after it was ringbarked early in the morning.

Smith said he came down the tree after the "malicious and cowardly attack" because other methods were needed to now save it, and handed himself into police.

"I made a promise to police that as as soon as I touched the ground I would hand myself in to the Henderson Police station," he said.

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SUPPLIED This photo of the ringbarked Kauri tree was posted on a local Facebook page on Wednesday morning.

Police said 32-year-old Smith was charged with willful trespass and would appear in the Waitakere District on January 6.

Police said they will not be making any further comment on the matter because it is now before the courts.

Meanwhile, the High Court this afternoon issued an interim order halting any work on the site, including cutting down the tree, until a hearing on February 26.

LAWRENCE SMITH/FAIRFAX NZ Johno Smith first scaled the tree on December 11.

"We are asking the court to review the consents allowing the ancient kauri and rimu trees to be cut down at 40 and 42 Paturoa Road as we believe those consents should not have been granted" said Aprilanne Bonar, Save Our Kauri Community Group spokesperson.

The Titirangi tree, which experts say is impossible to age accurately but could be up to 600 years old, was at the centre of a protest in March after it and a 300-year-old rimu were about to be felled to make way for two houses.

The Save our Kauri group said neighbours tried to stop the men but were too late to stop them ring barking the tree. A community vigil was due to be held at the scene on Wednesday evening.

SAVE OUR KAURI/Facebook Arborist Johno Smith tries to save the Titirangi kauri after ring-barking.

Ring barking, also called girdling, is the process of removing bark in a circle around the base of the tree which often causes it to die - usually within a year.

The Department of Conservation recommends ring barking as a way of controlling pest trees like wildling pines.

Smith came down from the tree and was attempting to perform a graft on the bark so that nutrients could continue to flow despite the large gash.

The tree was bandaged by mid afternoon.

"They were set on inflicting pain to the tree in a malicious and cowardly attack that goes to show how far people will go to get what they want," Smith said.

Although they took photographs of the people, he said there was no solid evidence and they could not speculate as to who did it.

Smith said he was glad to be down from the tree in time for Christmas, but "gutted" by the attack.

Bonar said the ring barking was a vengeful action and the perpetrators needed to be "brought to justice".

In March, Michael Tavares spent three days up the tree to stop it from being cut down.

Tavares handed himself in to police after the landowners, John Lenihan and Jane Greensmith, said in an open letter to Aucklanders that the tree would be saved.

Lenihan has not responded to requests for comment about recent events.

In August, he applied to have the Significant Ecological Area (SEA) status on the Titirangi properties lifted, potentially making it easier for him to proceed with felling several large native trees including the kauri.

Much of bush-clad Titirangi and surrounding suburbs have SEA status.

Bonar said the owners had complained to the Privacy Commissioner about the council and the neighbours.

Auckland Council confirmed it was aware a complaint had been made to the Privacy Commissioner regarding Paturoa Road.