Author Archives: barbcooper

Low Maintenance Country Drive

How do you deal with a driveway and entrance way that has been overtaken by ivy? The owners wanted a tidy, formal and low maintenance country drive way leading to their rural property on the outskirts of Albany.

The first stage was to clear everything out before we could even begin to visualise what might be. The owners were wanting a stone retainer wall and plantings along the length of the driveway. Low maintenance was a definite requirement.

This was very much a project that evolved as we went. It was impossible to plan this from the outset as we had no idea of what we would discover under the matted ivy.

The entrance before work commenced.

The drive before work commenced.

Making a start – clearing out the ivy

The clearing involved removing the boundary fence and old retaining wall which was falling away. At first we were unaware that it was in such a state as the ivy had covered everything and was making great advancements into the neighbour’s property.

We cleared the foliage with chainsaws, then cleared the roots out with the digger. It was important to get rid of as much of the ivy as possible.

The ivy was cleared by chainsaw.

The ivy growing very well in the retainer wall!

The digger at work.

Building a new retainer wall and fence

Once the area was cleared, it became apparent that the existing retainer fence would need to be replaced. The ivy was clearly well entrenched within it. A new retainer wall and fence, (all in one) was erected. The fence was stained black in keeping with the fence at the front entrance.

A new retainer wall and fence.

Building the stone retainer wall

Black matting was laid over the cleared areas and large paddock rocks were brought in and placed using the Tatonka crane truck. The placement of the rocks was very important so that they were very stable and looked natural. The stone was dry stacked around the larger rocks creating a natural stone retainer wall.

Laying the rocks into place.

Coir matting was used to help create a stable base for the mulch due to the slope. The mulch was placed behind the rocks using the crane truck and bin. This method saves hours of work. The well rotted mulch when applied thickly provides an excellent base for planting.

Coir matting placed under the mulch.

With rocks and mulch in place, the owners chose to complete the project with their own planting.

Low maintenance country drive before and after photos

Siting of the ‘Seat of Life’ Sculpture at Sanders Reserve

On the 8th August 2016, Phil Bonham’s almost completed seat sculpture was carefully transported by Tatonka to it’s final resting place next to the Faraway Tree at Sanders Reserve. Now fully sited and fully completed, the Seat of Life is ready for all ages to discover and to enjoy.

If you are venturing onto the Reserve, the sculptured ‘Seat of Life’ and the ‘Faraway Tree’ are must sees. The official opening for the Seat is planned for October 2016.

About the Seat

The seat was created as an object to sit on, to play in and to let your curiosity go wild. An old macrocarpa tree, sourced from the same area at Sanders Reserve as where the Faraway Tree stands, the log was cut down in early 2015 in preparation to be sculptured into the magical ‘Seat of Life’, that you see today.

As Phil carved the seat, many images emerged. Nothing was planned, the creatures you see became very clear to Phil as he stripped back the bark and began carving into the outer wood.

Below, Phil describes the features and forms…

The strange bird headed figure is a tree nymph or the hamadryades from Ancient Greek culture that were of the trees. She is pregnant because this sculpture is about the life force within things…an egg shape sits in the window under her side.

Finishing touches to the nymph on the ‘Seat of Life’

Some of the bird heads are specific and two are named, in reference to the recent pukeko culling fiasco when three takahe were shot. He mauri to nga manu, he mauri to nga rakau, he mauri to gna tangata.

Pukeko Heads on the ‘Seat of Life’

There are many other forms and references that passed through my mind and hands as it was made and hopefully there will be even more that are seen and felt by those who go to Sanders Reserve and walk down to Library Point, where waka and launch were launched.

Placement of the Sculptured Seat

Loaded on to the back of the Tatonka truck, at the yard at 389 Paremoremo Rd, the beautifully hand crafted seat was carefully manoevered into place in preparation to be moved to Sanders Reserve.

The sculptured seat on the back of Tatonka, note the back wheel!

The short trip to Sanders Reserve took little time, and before anyone even had a chance to notice, the seat was being unloaded in a position close to the Faraway Tree.

Arrival at the site, next to the Faraway Tree

Unloading was quick, the seat was set down on the ground in a temporary position while the site was prepared.

Tatonka going hard out to unload the sculpture!

Several basalt rocks were placed on the ground as a solid base to secure the sculpture in its final resting place. The tail, (the second half of the sculpture), was moved onto site and carefully glued into place.

The tail had to be glued into place on site

There were still many hours of final finishing for Phil to complete once the carving was on site. To complete the picture, matting, cushion fall and a timber edge were installed by Sustainable Landscapes.

It has been an absolute pleasure having the opportunity to get to know Phil throughout the process of creating his art sculpture. We have seen the long hours Phil has poured into this sculpture which has turned out to be a labour of love. To visit you will see for yourself, the wonder of his creation. Dave and Barb, Sustainable Landscapes.

Sequel to Faraway Tree

Sanders Reserve in Paremoremo, Albany is about to have a sculptural addition that will compliment the increasingly popular ‘Faraway Tree.’ A favourite for children and adults alike, what is it that makes this tree different? Why is it called the Faraway Tree, and what sort of sculpture would enhance it?

If you venture down the track by the sea at Sanders Reserve, you will discover a tree with a difference. This has fondly become known as the ‘Faraway Tree’. It’s a beautifully carved tree trunk with many figures and animals depicting the history of the area. It was carved by Phil Bonham, an Auckland sculptor and artist using mainly chainsaws. The tree is named after Enid Blyton’s story on the Magic Faraway Tree.

The Faraway Tree

Adding to this amazing work of art, Auckland Council has commissioned Phil to carve a seat from the trunk of another tree situated among the same original stand of macrocarpa trees at Sanders Reserve as the Faraway Tree .

In 2015 the tree was felled and the massive trunk was brought to our yard at Paremoremo in two halves. Phil has since been creating his magic with his Stihl chainsaws to create a seat that will be sited in the same area as the Faraway Tree. Not only will it be a seat but a magical structure for children to climb over, crawl through and to play wonderful make believe games on.

The outer layer of bark was peeled off

The first step in creating the seat was to strip the outside layer of bark off which revealed a lovely smooth surface underneath. Out of the woodwork, a number of different forms and figures could be imagined.

A ‘work in progress’ scenario, the transformation cannot be planned

With an artist’s eye and an open mind, this log of wood has undergone massive transformation in a way that cannot ever be planned. It is a ‘work in progress’ scenario where the shape and design has evolved as it presents itself to Phil.

Phil at work with his chainsaw

There have been many hours of work for Phil stripping, cutting and chiseling out the wood to create this carefully crafted seat. Throughout the process, our Tatonka crane truck has been useful in helping Phil turn the carving to work on different sides of the trunk.

Preparing for Tatonka truck to move the structure.

Phil and Dave testing out the unfinished seat.

Almost finished, and now securely under wraps, who knows what wonderful features the new sculptural addition to Sanders Reserve will have. This massive sculptured seat is soon to be moved by Tatonka to its final resting place not far from the Faraway Tree, at Sanders Reserve where children will play and adults will marvel.

A video on the making of the Faraway Tree can be viewed here.

Variety Bash & Ford NZ Solve School Garden Issue

Whenuapai School had the problem with their gardens, and with the Ford NZ team of helpers along with a large handful of Variety Club Bashers, a willing workforce was available to get stuck in and make some changes.

The banks of the garden were quite steep with a small concrete block edging. The edging was not high enough to contain the soil. To raise the height of the edges, we had to look at planting a low growing hedge as opposed to installing a wooden, timber or stone edge as the concrete in behind the retainer edges was too wide and too unsightly to work with.

The team of workers raced in, took the height out of the bank through hard work on the end of spades and shovels. Corokias, Emerald ‘n Jade were planted around the edge of the garden as hedging. Inside the garden, many mainly low growing hardy native plants were used. The Caretaker removed a cabbage tree and we replanted smaller ones in the middle of the garden to keep the leaves from falling onto the paths.

Whenuapai School Video. Watch all the action!

Compost donated by ourselves, and garden mulch donated by New Zealand Landscaping Supplies (NZLS) was used to cover the garden to keep the moisture in and weeds out.

Nicky Leishman from Stihl Shop Silverdale gave the workers a great demonstration of how their latest battery powered tools work. Ford NZ is also providing the school with a battery operated hedge trimmer supplied by Stihl Shop Silverdale at a great discount.

Then it was on the road again to find some more school kids to bring a big bit of sunshine to…

Natural Stone Wall, Hauraki

Creating a private and functional low maintenance front yard, was the objective in this landscaping project situated in Hauraki on Auckland’s North Shore.

The area to be landscaped faced the footpath and was also the main entrance to the house.

The existing garden was a mixture of annual and perennial plantings, the odd shrub along with a selection of scoria rocks.

There was a path that led people to the front door. This area was north facing and only a stone’s throw from the beach.

Our client’s brief was to create a functional outdoor living area with the use of natural stone walls.

The first step was to remove the existing garden.

We tried to save as many plants as possible, offering some on the roadside for free outside our yard.

Once the area was cleared, we had to install strong reinforced concrete footings in which to lay our stone.

From that point on, we began building our stone walls. The stone comes from the Northland. We use our crane truck to place the larger boulders.

With plenty of concrete mortar to bind the stone from behind, we began to build our stone walls.

As the walls are being built, they create a real sense of privacy from the street.Once the outside walls were completed with stone cappings, we begin work on building a strong entrance to the property by using old railway sleepers.

The next step was to clear the garden area and wall to the left of the property to enable us to face a stucco wall with stone, matching it in with the new stone walls.

Placing the finishing touches, was the next step. This is where our Tatonka crane truck comes in very useful when having to place large Palm trees.

We laid shell for the paved areas. As this property is so close to the beach, the shell is very appropriate to use, plus it makes a nice crunching noise, letting the occupants know if anyone is walking on their property.

With the completion of the wooden steps, laying pebble, then planting grasses, palms, ferns and ready lawn put the finishing touches to this project.

Installation of a wrought iron gate built and supplied by David Gilbert at www.wipl.co.nz and tarseal supplied by Mark Wilson at www.asphalt-improvements.co.nz

Tatonka Truck on Variety Bash

View Profile Video of Tatonka on the 2015 Variety Bash

David Milina and Barb Cooper’s Isuzu tow truck isn’t just a Monday-to-Friday workhorse for their Sustainable Landscapes business. It’s also a fundraiser for disabled and disadvantaged Kiwi kids.

It was former teacher Barb who got Dave involved with the eccentric road rally. It involves travelling through some of New Zealand’s remoter landscapes delivering funds and grants – and raising money along the way.

“Having been a teacher specialising in teaching children with learning difficulties,” Barb says, “I understand how challenging life can be for some of these kids. I also know how much having fun helps kids to feel better about themselves and where they’re going in life.”

Named for bush-bashing, ‘The Bash’ raises funds for Variety – The Children’s Charity, which donates funds to help Kiwi kids who need a hand-up, whether it’s equipment for a disabled child or a sports kit for a low-decile rural school, entertainment to lift a sick child’s spirits or the keys to a Ford Sunshine Coach, clothes for a foster child or a grant for an aspiring athlete or dancer who needs help to take that next step up.

Entrants must raise a large donation to attend the Bash rally, which aims to entertain kids along the route as well as raising more funds, and delivering grants.

Barb says, “It’s an amazing experience to be involved with so many people – the Bashers – who are dedicated to helping children and families. Travelling through rural towns and regions, putting smiles on people’s faces, is great medicine for anyone’s soul!”

“And it’s wonderful to have sponsors behind us as we help raise money for Kiwi kids,” she says.

The couple say their Isuzu truck, is “Every Boy’s Dream” as it recalls the original Tonka truck, but it doesn’t just draw smiles and waves wherever the Bash goes. “Every year the Bash does a working bee, and it’s pressed into service to clear trees from school grounds, haul fencing material in, whatever it takes – it’s even towed the occasional broken-down Bash car too.”

Tatonka’s the only truck on the Bash among the cavalcade of mainly retired fire engines and classic cars. “It’s a short wheelbase Isuzu Forward 4WD with a low-ratio transmission and what are called maximum-size flotation tyres. It can reach 7.5 metres with the crane and lift three tons, there’s a three-way tipping deck and hydrolic winches – it’s a bit of a jack of all trades!” Dave says.

To donate to the Tatonka Team go to https://varietybash2015.everydayhero.com/nz/tatonka

– from an article written by Jacqui Madelin, award winning motoring writer cartorque.co.nz

Collecting stone

You can’t beat the look of natural stone walls, they can look great in any garden. Many people ask us where we get our stone from and how we get it.

Stone laying out in the open paddock.

Much of the stone used for stone walls is sourced from farms on the outskirts of Whangarei. Being mainly of the red/brownish basalt type, it came from volcanic eruptions in the area around 10,000 years ago.

Stone piled under trees.

We use our 4 x 4 Tatonka Truck to get into inaccessible areas, and the crane and tipping mechanisms on the truck to make the job of collecting stone so much easier.

Selecting stone.

We hand select the stone, placing it into the metal bin as we go. We generally collect a wide selection of different sized stone. If there is a particularly large slab of stone, we place a strop around the stone and pull it out using the crane to place it onto the back of the Tatonka truck. Once the bin is full of stone, it is craned onto the back of the Tatonka truck.

Arctic truck and trailer unit.

To get a good supply of stone back to Auckland, we use a large arctic truck and trailer unit. This enables us to bring back 30 tonne of stone per trip. To transfer the stone from the back of the Tatonka truck onto the truck and trailer unit, we naturally use mechanical means!

Tipping stone off the back of the Tatonka truck into the bin is the easiest way to load the bin. By simply changing the positioning of the chains on the bin, we can load and unload quite efficiently. Nobody wants to pick up and load the same piece of stone twice if they can possibly help it!

Dave on hand controls.

We like to keep a good supply of stone in our yard at 369 Paremoremo Rd, so that when it comes to building a stone wall we have a really good selection of stone. It makes the job much easier and far more enjoyable.

And…the end product…

Stone wall

Stone retainer wall.

Creating a Low Maintenance Country Drive

When clients asked for a makeover of their entrance and drive way of approximately 120 metres, they had low maintenance as a prerequisite. The drive way had been kept under control mainly with a weed eater, however it still presented as a high maintenance job and it always looked messy.

The entrance way before work commenced.

The shrubs along one side of the drive had been competing for food and had become quite leggy and unattractive. There was an open culvert running the length of the driveway, half covered in grass with a generous scattering of agapanthus that had randomly seeded throughout it.

Before – the left hand side of the driveway was always difficult to maintain.

To begin, we had to remove the trees. This is where the front winches on the Tatonka truck are very useful! The trees were mulched on site.

With our little digger, we created a swale down the length of the driveway. We removed all unwanted organic matter piling it up for decomposition.

The swale area was then covered in a mud stop matting.

Preparing the mud stop to go over the newly formed swale area.

River stone was hand placed along the length of the swale. No need to go to the gym when you are doing this work! River pebbles were added later.

Hand placed river stone.

Rustic items of wood were randomly placed to add interest and replicate a river bed.

Creating the natural look.

A hedge was planted along the length of the driveway to provide privacy. The popular native ‘griselinia’ was planted.

The area around the plantings was thickly mulched. As part of the banks were relatively steep, a fibre matting was used to hold the mulch in place.

Using the bin to fill the areas requiring mulch enables us to work quickly, efficiently and cleanly.

Red native flaxes were planted to add interest along with the very popular and hardy Australian lomundra grasses.

Fresh plantings of flax, lumundra and griselinia.

The entrance reconstruction involved replacing the old fence and gates, and continuing the river boulder theme. Interest pieces of drift wood and large boulders completed the overall natural look.

Boulders,drift wood and plantings in the new entrance way

Solid new gates with a light oak coloured stain, along with a matching new letterbox complete the project.

Our Electric Wheelbarrow

The electric wheelbarrow was the key to accomplishing a big job that required shifting a large amount of soil up three levels. The task had to be done by hand as the area was too narrow and tight for any other method. It was one of those jobs that we looked at one another and thought we need an army of muscles to get through this job!

It was then mentioned to us that maybe an electric wheelbarrow would do the job. So we bought one from Yardlab for just over $1,000. The soil was all shifted by Barb! The wheelbarrow is now used all the time.

Equipment that makes our job SO much easier!

The wheelbarrow will last us for up to three days before it needs recharging, that’s largely due to when going downhill, it recharges itself.

If you own a property that is sited on a slope, you would find the electric wheelbarrow particularly useful – it takes away all that hard work of pushing uphill.

Carting concrete uphill.

We love tools or equipment that enable a job to be done quicker and more efficiently!

Our Yard at 389 Paremoremo Rd

Our yard is located in Paremoremo, only a few minutes northwest of Albany. The community in this semi rural area have been the recipients of three Council Environmental Awards for Sustainability. ‘Weed Free Pare’ is one of the many categories locals are focused on. The yard we are leasing at 389 Paremoremo Rd is host to several targeted weed plants.

We are in the process of clearing the weed trees along the front roadside of the yard and are planting natives instead. There’s a fine selection of jasmine, gorse, pampas grass, asparagus plant and ginger all comfortably growing there. They are currently being replaced by flaxes, repositioning of mapau plants, native ferns, grasses, toi-toi, pseudopanax, pohutukawa, ake ake, and puka.

Mulching the roadside in front of our yard at 369 Paremoremo Rd.

Our yard is where we store our landscape materials for jobs. At present we have a supply of paddock rock, river rock, large boulders and mulch.