Tauranga City Council employs two full time arborists and looks after and maintains approximately:

• 1,900 protected trees on private property
• 8,000 trees in reserves
• 17,000 street trees

Protected trees. To check whether a tree is protected (meaning it's on the Register of Notable and Landscape Trees) you need to search the register. Look at the register here.

To ensure you have the correct information, it may pay to ring Tauranga City Council on 07 577 7000 as well as checking the above register.

Information on ‘Growing Tauranga Green’ our vegetation management strategy for Tauranga,

Planting Guide for Street Trees and Gardens

The Planting Guide for street trees and gardens has been broken up into sections listed below.

• Planting Guide Cover Page ( 88kb pdf)
• Planting Guide Contents Page (29kb pdf)
• Planting Guide - Street Trees (1.4mb pdf)
• Planting Guide Street and Reserve Gardens (2.2mb)
• Planting Guide Appendix (160kb pdf)

Which is the oldest tree in Tauranga?

It is believed to be the Titoki at Otumoetai Pa and the Pohutukawa at Pitau Road Reserve, both are of a similar age- approx 300 years old.

Which is the tallest tree in Tauranga? 

This has not been identified; however Yatton Park has some trees that were planted during 1865 – 1877 by Mr John Alfred Chadwick.

Chadwick made the initial purchase of 400 acres shortly after the battle of Gate Pa. On one section, he built his house and planted a number of exotic trees - 16 of which are now the largest of their kind in the North Island.

For example:
Norfolk Pine (Araucaria heterophylla) 51 m
Queensland Kauri (Agathis robusta) 34 m 

More information on Yatton Park.

Some other areas that have historic trees are:

Maungawhare

Maungawhare has 4 large Norfolk pines planted between 1884 and 1890; the northernmost of these was once the tallest in the Bay of Plenty until it was struck by lightning in 1978

The Maungawhare parkland area bounds the homestead, which remains private. Public entry is to the parkland only and is accessed from Parkvale Road, Otumoetai. 

The Elms

The Elms, Tauranga's historic former Mission Station was founded in 1835.
Reverend Brown purchased 17 acres of the original CMS Station in 1873 as a family home, naming it The Elms, after the over 50 elm trees growing on the site at the time.

Brown was known for his interest in gardening: he planted the oak tree, the Norfolk pines which are the most visible markers of the mission station, as well as ornamentals such as roses. 

More information on the Elms.

Reference:

For more information on trees try “Great Trees of New Zealand” – by S.W. Burstall 1984

(Tauranga Library has a copy)