20 Nov 2016

Person injured by falling tree at Auckland park

5:54 pm on 20 November 2016

One person has been injured and taken to hospital and several cars have been damaged after a tree toppled over in Auckland's Cornwall Park this afternoon.

Cars were crushed at Auckland's Cornwall Park after a tree fell on them.

Cars were crushed at Auckland's Cornwall Park after a tree fell on them. Photo: Twitter / @stufox

The fire service said one woman was taken to hospital with moderate injuries.

Cornwall Park Trust Board director Michael Ayrton said there had been no signs that the large cottonwood was at risk of falling over.

"All the mature trees in the park are assessed on an annual basis," he said.

"That particular tree was assessed as a one-in-a-million chance of toppling, but we've got our consulting arborist coming in in the morning to have a look at the tree and the trees in the immediate surroundings to see if everything's all right."

While it has been a windy day in Auckland, the tree was in a sheltered area at the base of One Tree Hill, Mr Ayrton said.

He said he was surprised to see it topple.

When the cottonwood tree fell, it also caused some damage to a nearby Norfolk pine tree.

That tree would also be assessed and might need to be removed, Mr Ayrton said.

Earlier this year, a gum tree fell over in the same park, also causing damage to cars.