Blessed with good weather, Mr Hopper, his team and electrician Jamie Kemp from Port Stephens Council had 12 ropes, each 40m in length, of all new colourful lights plus the star installed in tree by the day’s end.

All new 24 volt Festoon lights have gone up in the Norfolk pine tree, located on the grounds of the Old Rectory, this year after a lightning bolt strike fried the old lights before Christmas in 2017.

The rope lights previously installed int he tree were only bought by the council in 2014, replacing others that had been damaged by storms.

Mr Kemp, who has been involved with the tree lighting for 13 years, said it was quite a shock to find the tree lights destroyed by lightning last year.

“That’s why the lights weren’t on for Christmas,” he said. “We started from scratch this year. We went with custom Festoon lights. They’re a lot more Christmasy.

“We’ll see how these go and if there’s positive feedback, we’ll look at getting more of these for Nelson Bay.”

Lights are also installed in the Norfolk pine tree in Apex Park at Christmas time. The lights are due to go up in the next week.

Mr Hopper has been scaling the Terrace’s Norfolk pine tree for two decades. Just how long exactly he is not too sure.

However, he said it is one of his favourite jobs of the year.

“I’m the bearer of good news,” Mr Hopper said. “People don’t realise how close Christmas is until they see me putting the lights up.”

The landmark tree, proclaimed to be the biggest Christmas tree in the southern hemisphere, has been decorated with lights every year since 1961.

In 2010 the tree measured 43 metres tall and was listed as Australia’s tallest Norfolk pine in the National Register of Big Trees.

The tree and the grounds will once again host Christmas carols when the lights are switched on come December 7.

The lights in both trees will come down in early February.