Planting a memorial grove of thousands of native trees to commemorate New Zealand's fallen soldiers is being considered for the Coromandel.

Tourism Coromandel's former CEO Chris Adams, who now runs a successful marketing tourism consultancy, approached Thames-Coromandel District Mayor Glenn Leach with the idea several months ago.

A memorial grove of thousands of native trees to commemorate New Zealand's fallen soldiers being considered for the Coromandel could include kauri plantings.

The concept is to plant a national living memorial for Gallipoli and/or World War I soldiers within the Coromandel.

Since meeting with Chris, the Mayor says he's spoken with the Department of Conservation, local iwi, the Kauri 2000 Trust, and regional and central government representatives – 'all who are really interested in the proposal”.

'Our council's involvement is very much just getting in behind and facilitating this project,” says Glenn.

'The first step we have taken is just setting up a meeting with all interested parties to be held in September.

Glenn says this meeting will look at concepts and appropriate spaces to plant.

'The wonderful thing is that everyone I've spoken to so far is really passionate and interested, as this is a project which would be is a legacy for our future generations and a memorial to our past.”

Chris says a National Memorial Forest within the Coromandel would be a living monument commemorating those who fought for the nation, and would also help to restore a special part of New Zealand's natural landscape.

As such it would hopefully have appeal to visitors from across the country, and around the world.

'Though something of this size would be unique in New Zealand there are a number of overseas examples of living forests memorialising the fallen from WWI and/or WWII,” says Chris.

'Some commemorate not just the fallen soldier but have a tree for every veteran, which is a more ambitious version of the ‘fallen soldier' forest.”