Chritas Wood

18/05/2026

The NZ native whau (Entelea arborescens) might look soft and lightweight — and that’s exactly why Māori valued it so highly.

Its incredibly buoyant wood was traditionally used for fishing floats, marker buoys, eel fishing gear, and children’s toys. Some say it’s the lightest native timber in Aotearoa.

Fast growing, useful, and uniquely adapted to life beside the coast — another reminder that our native trees were tools, resources, and taonga long before they were landscaping plants.

11/05/2026

Please come along! Our kids are keen as to do these golf lessons, so the more support we can get, the better!

11/05/2026

This is epic work, if you see these pods, please remove them and annoy me until I create a moth plant post.

*Warning, don't get the sap on your skin

The Environmental Council has been participating in Pest Free South Auckland’s Moth Plant Collection over the past two weeks and has managed to collect a total of 410 moth plant pods. Although we won’t win this year, we’ve helped remove some of this invasive plant from our community. Thank you to the people in the council who volunteered their time to make this event a success, with a special shout-out to the whaanau house, Awaroa, who collected all of these pods in the end. Here’s to 2027 — and beating this result!

08/05/2026

Sometimes native planting feels a bit disheartening. But be like Braveheart, believe in it, hold, hold, hold on to that. Be patient. Care for the plants. Mother Nature will do her thing.

07/05/2026

*Sorry, I have had to repost this a bunch of times but I think I have it right now *

Old man pine — good firewood… if you know what you’re dealing with

✔️ Lights easy
✔️ Burns hot
✔️ Great for getting the fire going fast

But here’s what people don’t always think about:
⚠️ Burns quickly — you’ll chew through it faster
⚠️ Can spark and pop if it’s not properly dried
⚠️ Not ideal for overnight burns on its own

Best way to use it?
Pair it with heavier wood so you get the quick heat and something that lasts.
If you’re relying on just pine, you might be feeding the fire all night.
Want help getting the right mix sorted for your place? Flick us a message 👍

03/05/2026

When you want the fire lit, you often want it started quickly and throwing out warmth as soon as possible.

Some of the Chritas lads have been busy collecting offcut kindling to sell. This stuff is the bees knees.

A massive calf sack for $20, can deliver locally.

Message us to order.