Wai-a-te-ao (Motions Creek) Environment Project

Monday, May 26, 2008

The First Clean Up March 2nd 2008

Heres some images taken by David Gall of the first clean up at Motions Creek. 15 locals including myself and 2 members from the Auckland City Council spent a few hours one Sunday morning focusing on a particular area in the mangroves . One very loaded truck of a assorted variety of rubbish was removed from the area bordering Meola Road and Lemington Reserve. We need to head in there again very soon to finish up. This is the first stage of the clean up. A big thanks goes out to those who made it happen.

The Rubbish

And here it is "The Rubbish". This was photographed
between September and November 2007 and was used
as evidence showing the scope of the problem.
This was sent via another blog link to Wai Care,
Auckland Harbour News, Auckland Regional Council (ARC)
and Auckland City Council (ACC).

The Harbour News responded quite quickly as
result the link below is the first of three articles
on this issue. Many thanks to Cleo Fraser.
Auckland City Harbour News Article

It wasn't until the article hit the streets and another
series of emails to the Councils that they finally woke
to the issue. But they sent some inspector who claimed
that he walked 80% of the creek and only found a piece
of cardboard. Straight on the phone I was to get to
the bottom of this. With more too and trowing they
finally got me in touch with David Bowden the

Park volunteer co-ordinator for ACC. Around the end
of November David meet up me and we walked around
the areas of concern. The planning stage had begun.
David and I organized the first clean up to happen at
the beginning of March 2008.

September 12th 2008 The First Light

"Water..... a thing of beauty
A thing of substance"
Why in this day and age we humans
continue to pour or dispose waste into
these vital resources?
Why isn't there more people getting involve
in saving and restoring the waterways?

"Mikel Durel"

Fact File on Motions Creek

Wai-a-te-ao (Motions Creek)

Wai-a-te-ao is named after a person called Te Ao, and is now called Motion's Creek. It starts at Te Uru Karaka (Basque Park) and flows under the motorway, goes behind Motat here it's connected to Western Springs, and then comes out beside Meola Reef. Western Springs had clean, clear spring water, and eels lived in the river. After the Pākehā people came the area was part of a piece of land owned by a Scottish person called William Motion, which is why the creek is called Motion's Creek. As Auckland City grew they bought William Motion's flour mill and 120 acres including the creek because Auckland needed fresh water.

Dairy of Thoughts

September 11
What I have discovered along this journey is that generally on the surface all seems fine but hidden in undergrowth, under the water and along the banks is a huge range of rubbish.
My thoughts along the way reflected on this planets concerns with "Global Warming" and how it has dominated the global consciousness through the media. I am hoping that "Global Warming" does not detract from our upkeep of the land and waterways. During this exploration I came across some locals launching kayaks from their back section jetty near the mouth of the creek. They mentioned that 50 years ago this water was crystal clear and that when the storm water overflows it also takes sewage with it into the creek. Hmm?? Makes you think why the council hasn't remedied this issue.

September 22
While on kayaking up Motions Creek I seen 1 eel and few ducks and shags. I'm sure if this environment was pristine I would encounter much more wild life. A closer look at this environment could require the help of council, locals and users to clean up the mess.

November 11 2007
Much of the rubbish has possibly been disposed from residents over 30 years ago. From old cars and tyres, old washing machine to building wastes some of which could be asbestos.
On the way back home I bumped into a resident of Sunny Brae Crescent, he told me that 30 years ago that the creek was crystal clear and was clear of mangroves. I am seeing a picture here that the mangroves have caused the huge build up of
silt/mud, some of which is up to my knee deep. I also speculate that the mangroves will in time choke Motions Creek unless something very radical is instigated to deal with the ever
expanding mangrove. What I also speculate is that the mangrove is working as a trap for all the rubbish that goes into Motions Creek. These mangroves need to be opened up and the mud dredged to allow a better flow of Motions Creek.