Cleanup crews working on storm damage in Invercargill’s Queens Park have reached an important milestone this week, with the latest section of the award-winning park scheduled to reopen on Friday afternoon.

The entire northern half of Queens Park had been closed following the severe wind storm that hit Southland in October, with fallen trees, hanging branches and debris making the area unsafe.

Invercargill City Council Manager Parks and Recreation Caroline Rain said most of the park would now be accessible, including the major thoroughfares of Coronation Ave and the George St track near Southland Boys’ High School.

“It has taken many months of hard work by staff, contractors and volunteers, but the bulk of Queens Park is finally open again,” she said.

“We’ve isolated some areas where tree work is continuing, but the main paths, the golf course and the entire length of Coronation Ave have now reopened.”

Restoring north-south access through Queens Park had been a priority because these paths served as a major arterial walking route, particularly for students on their way to and from school, Rain said.

“Our teams have done an amazing job to get the main walkways open before the start of the new school year.” Invercargill Mayor Tom Campbell said the damage from the storm was extensive, and Queens Park had been sorely missed while it was closed.

“I’m really proud to let the people of Invercargill know that they can once again walk freely through the heart of Queens Park,” he said.

“Thank you to everyone involved in the clean-up and thank you, too, to the public for your patience and support. It is the result of everyone’s efforts that we can reopen these gates and enjoy our beloved park again.”

As visitors returned, they would notice significant changes to the landscape they once knew, Rain said.

“Many large stands of trees came down in the wind, and a lot of those that remain have been significantly trimmed or have had branches removed. “Queens Park will look different after the storm, but the good thing about trees is they can regenerate. The specialist arborists from Treetech have taken great care to preserve what they can, and the canopy will recover in time.”

While most of Queens Park was open, some areas would remain cordoned off with barriers or hazard tape while arborists continued their work, including the further removal of trees and branches.

“Over 850 tonnes of wood have been removed from Queens Park so far,” Rain said.

“Some of this has been sold and some has been passed on to local charities. We are continuing to invite expressions of interest from community groups that can help us fairly distribute excess firewood to those in need.”

A map of the remaining closed sections of Queens Park and further information about expressions of interest for firewood could be found on Council’s website.