Central Otago District Council staff, elected members and contractors marked Arbor Day by planting 1300 native tussocks in the reserve, above State Highway 8.
The reserve reopened in July last year after the felling of 825 trees deemed a significant seed source for wilding pines.
Haehaeata Trust project co-ordinator Rachael Baxter said a total of 5000 tussocks would be planted following a public planting day on Sunday — but that was just the beginning of redevelopment.
"This is stage one of a six-stage, five-year project - [stage one] is by far the biggest stage," she said.
The tussocks had been grown in the Haehaeata community nursery and at Home Creek Nursery in Manapouri.
Five hundred trees and shrubs would be planted in the spring and more again in the autumn, Ms Baxter said.
The trust had a memorandum of understanding with the council to plant out the reserve.
The plants would be visible from the highway and she hoped people would be able to see the difference they made.
"Every time you come in and out of town you’ll [be able to] watch them grow."
Council community experience group manager David Scoones said the planting was the first of many steps in the redevelopment of the reserve.
It had been a labour of love for volunteers, who had prepared the site for planting, dug out tracks and done "some amazing mahi", he said.
"It does take a whole community to do something like this ... It’s going to be so cool to see this come to life."
The public native planting day will be held at the Half Mile Recreation Reserve on Sunday from 1pm-4pm.
