It was 12am on January 14, 2016, when people were being woken from their slumber to news of a fire on Mauao – 12 months later and the mountain is recovering well.

Arson was labelled the cause of the fire which burnt between 800-900sqm on the northeast side of the landmark.

The fire broke out on Mauao at about 12am on Thursday, January 14, 2016. Photo: Victoria Sardelich-McNutt.

Mauao parks asset coordinator Dave Grimmer says 12 months on, the burnt area is recovering well.

'The area was re-planted in June 2016 with approximately 1200 native plants to assist the regeneration process and replace those that were lost in the fire. Six month on the plants seem to be doing well.

'The objective of this planting was to quickly reestablish and to allow the natural revegetation process to take place with ongoing weed control to keep the unwanted weed species out.”

Dave says some of the existing vegetation has also recovered well.

In particular, the mountain flax (Phormium Cookianum) bounced back quickly after the burn.

'The area burned in the fire was steep terrain, only accessible with the use of abseil equipment to ensure the safety of those involved.

'Due to the potential of dislodging loose rock onto the track below, the track needs to be closed when accessing this area on foot making it difficult to inspect and monitor.”

Scorched earth. The view after the fire was put out.

Little is known about the specific wildlife in the burnt area, however, overall the vegetation and wildlife in the reserve is improving year-on-year due to ongoing weed control, animal pest control and revegetation work.

Bird life and plants are flourishing, says Dave.

'While the plant life is recovering, it's still at risk over this hot summer.

'It's a timely reminder for all that Mauao is very dry at this time of year.

'The vegetation, topography and terrain make in such dry conditions makes the risk of fire high.”

Tauranga City Council would like to re-emphasise that:

• Fires and fireworks are not permitted on Mauao

• Smoking is not permitted on Mauao

• In the event of a fire call 111

'With support from visitors and users on the above conditions, future fires on Mauao should be preventable.”