It’s the end of an era for Ngatea – the town’s iconic crochet Christmas tree has been decommissioned.
Ngatea’s Crochet Christmas tree, made from thousands of crocheted squares, has been the highlight of the town’s Christmas decor since it was first erected in 2019.
The idea for the tree came from the late Ngatea Lions Club member Kathy Karl, who had seen similar structures overseas.
Ngatea’s version featured over 2000 squares, crocheted by volunteers across the town and sewn together by the Lionesses.
“We just put something out to the whole town and you wouldn’t believe the number of ladies who said ‘I’ll do it’,” Lions member Rae Dudding told The Profile.
“We supplied them with [yarn] and they set to work and did thousands of squares – it was just great.”
The tree initially stood around six metres tall and was supported by a metal frame, constructed by Quinn Engineering from old playground equipment.
A second iteration of the tree debuted in 2022 and was even taller, towering between seven and eight metres into the sky.
In later years, it was also lit from within by a light supplied by Hauraki District Council.
“It almost looked like stained glass when it was dark and the light came through – it looked fabulous.”
Now, however, the tree has been retired. Rae said the display was just getting too difficult to manage each year.
“It became a really big job… we had to put half of [the squares] on the top while it was still lying down, and attach them all to wire netting and the frame,” Rae said.
“The last time it took us a really long time, we were all exhausted. It does involve some climbing ladders and things, and we just decided we couldn’t do that anymore.
“It’s just become too hard for old ladies.”
All the lovingly hand-crafted pieces won’t be going to waste, however. Most of the squares have been pieced into blankets for charity, and other yarn from the tree has also been made into jumpers and beanies.
“All those people that crocheted for us will be really pleased to know that we haven’t just thrown them out – they’ve gone to a good cause,” Rae said.
“Some of them have gone to Ukraine, the blankets, and some to Hamilton to a place called Winter Warmers.”
There could even be plans afoot for the tree’s frame, Rae said.
“We decided we’d let somebody else have a go at doing a tree for Ngatea… some of the younger men in the Lions have decided they might do something else with the frame,” she said.
And although the crochet tree has now been felled, Rae said she and the Lionesses were proud of their efforts over the past seven years.
“The kids loved it because it had all the crocheted animals and toys and all sorts of things on it… Lots of cars stopped there all the time and wandered around and took photos of their kids in front of it,” Rae said.
“It’s worked really well, and we’re very proud of the fact that we did it.”
