First, the park’s name is a bit of a misnomer, since that old tree was not, in fact, an Aspen; it was a Cottonwood. It had more grandeur in the city landscape than even the navigating trees planted on the grounds of The Elms.
The cottonwood seemed to have had a lucky break for many years, as many locals had a love/hate relationship with it. Until, in what some have written was almost an act of defiance and retribution, the tree dumped a substantial limb on a car. No one was hurt, but the tree had sealed its own fate. Down it came in 2011. A block piece of that notable tree lives within the walls of the Library and will no doubt head over to our new Library in Sept/Oct this year.
The tree’s origins are uncertain. Romantic theories aside, the armed constabulary likely planted it, as they carried out many public works in the late 1860s. This is because that area is linked to the 19th-century military heritage of the 1864 Gate Pā/Pukehinahina era and the land wars.
Aspen Reserve itself sits on land significant to both Māori and early Pākehā settlement, once part of a large cultivated area and a place where tying up your horse and cart while visiting the Post Office was common.
Some of that history includes the land being used for food cultivation for the community. I immediately thought how wonderful that was, and at the same time, wondered why we, as a community, don’t install more gardens for people to graze from? Yes, I know the limitations of such a pie-in-the-sky idea. Even introducing more fruit trees has got to be a positive? I recall seeing numerous citrus-lined streets around Spain; it gave me the impression that the place was loved by it’s community.
As it is today – August 2026
Nowadays, the work being done is to create more green spaces, a sanctuary-style space if you like, and to reflect our history in our inner city. The recent installation of a large mural by artist Graham Hoete depicting an 1880s Tauranga street-building scene based on a historic photograph of Willow St will prompt those reflections.
I applaud this, and I’m sure office workers and those of us who live here will enjoy the space, whether sitting in it and even playing chess on one of the tables to be installed, or just admiring it as they walk past.
Our nearly completed green space for all to enjoy, sitting in the partial shade of a tree or basking in the sun, while away for a lunchtime hour, a small jazz concert or a 15-minute sit-down between wandering around our beautiful harbourside city space.
Telling local stories through public art.
The image below and the cover photo are of the mural at Aspen Reserve, a reproduction of a 19th-century photograph by multidisciplinary artist Graham Hoete.
The image shows two Māori men working to form what is now Willow St – one seated in a horse-drawn cart, the other standing with a wheelbarrow and spade, a small dog by his side.
Local historian Buddy Mikaere has mentioned in several publications that the men were members of the Ngāi Tamarāwaho hapū of Ngāti Ranginui and were among those who carried out major infrastructure work in early Tauranga.
So, a lot of work has gone into this small patch of land over the years, and today it will be designated as a small reserve for all to enjoy. In my opinion, communities can’t have enough green spaces around a city.
Life at No. 22 