Heather Wills is hoping the rain will let off so a bit of boardwalk can be built in time for the Tanners Point Pest Free and Walkway Project planting day tomorrow afternoon.

The boardwalk timber is funded by Bay Trust and has been cut into kitset form and shipped around Tauranga Harbour to the Tanners Point site ready for Saturday afternoon's big planting mission.

Bernie Wills with a load of gravel for the boardwalk. Photo: Supplied.

The 900 plants, donated by the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, also arrived this week.

'We are hoping to get most of them in the ground this Saturday afternoon,” says Heather. 'Willing hands are very much needed. Bring your children to plant for the future.”

The Tanners Point Pest Free and Walkway Project is designed to create a safe feeding and breeding ground for New Zealand land and shore birds.

The walkways were a natural side effect of the project through creating easier access for volunteers to service trap and rat bait lines, as well as providing a nature walk for everyone to enjoy, says Heather.

'Bay Trust don't normally fund that sort of thing but because they called it an environmental boardwalk or something, that sort of allowed them to do it somehow,” she says.

'I'm hoping if the weather will hold off I can get a bit built on the boggiest part before the people come for the planting, because there's a real stinky bit, then there's a secondary bit which at the moment isn't too wet.”

The Wills and friends have been carrying the kitset boardwalk round to the construction site using an old alloy dinghy they found on TradeMe.

The hull was leaking around the rivets but Bernie Wills used some No More Nails and it's now watertight and ferrying boardwalk timbers and gravel – and bringing back loads of willow.

The trees were poisoned and cut down into firewood rounds, says Heather.

'We've stacked a lot up on the shore here and one of the blokes has got part shares in a wood splitter,” she adds.

'After we have done the planting we are going to have a bit of a wood-splitting day.”

Planting on Saturday, July 18 starts at 1.30pm. Take a spade, sturdy footwear or gumboots and garden gloves.

Access is via no 133 Tanners Point Rd, with parking on the grass verge. All are welcome, although a reasonable level of fitness is needed as the land is steep to rolling.

There's also ice creams on offer at half-time.