A new 18-metre tree is set to illuminate the heart of Tāmaki Makaurau’s CBD this Christmas. A Christmas tree with a reported million-dollar price tag will serve as the centrepiece for Auckland’s Te Komititanga Square this festive season and looks to mark a new holiday tradition for Tāmaki Makaurau. Named Te Manaaki, the giant Christmas tree - which the Auckland Ratepayers’ Alliance said cost up to $1.
3 million - stands 18 metres tall and is decorated with 4000 pōhutukawa flowers, 200 giant baubles and more than 10,000 sparkling LED lights. Despite concerns from the Alliance over the price of the decoration amid the cost-of-living crisis , it’s hoped the tree will bring festive cheer to the lower Queen St square, transforming the space (adjacent to Commercial Bay and the Waitematā/Britomart Station) into a vibrant hub for connection, says Viv Beck . “Many people have special memories of Christmas in the city centre.
Now is an ideal time to bring a new festive attraction to the heart of our city,” Beck, the chief executive of business association Heart of the City (which is helping to fund the tree’s installation along with partner Precinct Properties), said in a statement..
