“Follow that critter!”

Where does this stream come from? Where to does it travel? How does it reflect and connect environment around us – how does it reflect and connect us?

From high up, where its tributaries slips and ducks down through deep Remutaka gullies, to where it glides, chuckles and natters through the native forest and spreads and meanders across paddocks before it slinks, squeezes and navigates under bridges and state highways, in between flood management stop banks…it is welcomed by the Donald’s Creek Kaitiaki – before it heads downstream again to more shaded and sheltered banks, and then it eventually joins the Otauira Stream in a warm embrace, and together they travel and join the Moana.

On Tuesday we set out to share our knowledge and love of this stream with the rest of the community, and to make sure they all know about the Donald’s Creek Freshwater Celebration this Saturday 30 November!

At 12noon, on the hottest and brightest time of the day, we arrived bright eyed and bushy-tailed at the Squircle by Fitzherbert Street, carrying cardboard stencils and food grade chalk paint. We were excited to be bringing the stream to the community, and introducing to everyone some of the critters that live in the stream. Creating our stencils in vivid greens, reds, blues and yellows, we allowed the creatures to float on down the main street of Featherston, creating a stream bed on the concrete!

It was so much fun, seeing the student kaitiaki art works being transferred to the main street footpaths. And while we only had a short window to paint before heading back to school, we were excited to have been able to point people in the direction of the stream, and put Donald’s Creek at the forefront of everyone’s mind. We hope it will encourage everyone to join us at the event on Saturday!

So if you are wondering where to go today, follow that critter! And then head to the east, towards Donald Street and take the scenic route to the stream from there!

We were also so excited to see the support from local show owners and businesses, who was showcasing the beautiful, fun and thoughtful fish bunting that were made by students from Kahutara, South Featherston and St Teresa’s Schools to help support and celebrate the project and our local waterway!

As you find your way to the stream, you will become part of its history. You will be able to water and mulch the plants that grow around it. You will meet some of the critters that we may find in the stream. And we will be able to explore what is the history of the stream, what are the paths of the stream, and how has the stream changed over the years – what are its names, and what are the stories connected to this stream! We will be joined by Rawiri Smith, Hamish Donald, Joseph Potangaroa and more, who will be able to shed some light on this. Another blog post will also follow about the information that we discovered on our field day, and that we are still unravelling from various maps and sources. Be sure to come along to find out more about your local stream!