TE AWA SCHOOL; History of Hawke’s Bay garden / blessing the apple trees
After the trees had been planted it was time for Ahuriri Sunrise member Rev Nigel Kynoch to conduct a blessing of the trees.
As the apple grove is a part of the garden that symbolises the European horticultural contribution to Hawke’s Bay history, a blessing of the apple trees (such as this) would be exactly what would have happened when the original trees were planted in The Bay and thus, appropriate for the Te Awa School trees as well.
After all, in the good old days both the planting and harvesting would have been similarly blessed.
The trees were blessed by Nigel, water was gently dripped onto them by the students, and thus our happy occasion ended.
Rotary Ahuriri Sunrise thanks all concerned for making this apple tree grove planting day such a memorable occasion…
Te Awa School Principal Greta Van Zyl and the pupils who planted the trees
Past DG Grant Spackman for obtaining the trees
Marty and Kelli Cooke for donating the trees
Tree Planters President Adrienne Williams and members Carol Pipe, Peter Edmead, Lynne & Tony Trafford, and Rev Nigel Kynoch for his blessing
TE AWA SCHOOL; History of Hawke’s Bay garden/apple tree planting'Round about this time in 2022, while in conversation with the then principal of Te Awa School, Tim Van Zyl, it was decided to add a small grove of apple trees to the planned garden focusing on the History of Hawke’s Bay. The garden, an interactive unique teaching aid, would be enhanced by apple trees representing the contribution to Hawke’s Bay made by horticulturalists. Unfortunately, the seasonal timing for the planting of apples was wrong with the garden due to opening in summer. It was decided to put the planting off until 2023.
An area was allocated for the apple trees to be planted between the Outdoor Classroom and the Forest play space, and on Friday 8th of September 2023, the gifted apple trees were delivered to Te Awa School.
Past District Governor Grant Spackman had arranged the gift of 6 apple trees from Marty and Kelli Cooke, the owners of Cooke Nurseryman Ltd. Grant delivered the trees.
The Cookes had selected 6 different varieties of apples, 3 traditional ones Sturmer, Granny Smith, Braeburn, and 3 newer ones, NZ Queen, Pacific Rose, and Royal Gala.
Te Awa School Principal, Greta Van Zyl, selected children from both the senior and junior schools to help Rotarians plant the tree