People and the river

Meet Sally Coates, one of our guardians and friend of the Ōpāwaho.

What is one of your favourite childhood memories?
Watching storms tumbling over and down the mountains during holidays in Glenorchy, a small town at the top of Lake Wakatipu.

When did you meet the Ōpāwaho for the first time?
Around 11 years ago, during the earthquakes.

Was it love on first sight?
No, I was preoccupied with the quakes.

What does the Ōpāwaho give you?
It gives me a community connection.

What do you give to the Ōpāwaho?
Time, consideration and respect.

If you had a magic wand for the Ōpāwaho, what would you do?
I would turn it into a thriving ecosystem with corridors of biodiversity, trees, fish, birdsong, and people happily enjoying all of it.

A few words to describe your connection with the Ōpāwaho?
To apply and help with my knowledge about water resource management.

What is one of your favourite the Ōpāwaho memories?
Just walking along the river, enjoying the moment.

Photography and interview by Stephanie Defregger

Photography and interview by Stephanie Defregger

Meet Miria Goodwin, one of our guardians and friend of the Ōpāwaho.

What is one of your favourite childhood memories?
Playing for hours with friends in the mangroves behind our home in Fiji and not coming home till dinner time.

When did you meet the Ōpāwaho for the first time?
I met her with more focus and attention about 3 years ago.

Was it love on first sight?
No. Our close connection started when I had a child in 2015 and I went for long walks along the banks at a very slow pace. With our child, I got to know some special places along the river very well, and slowly started to see what a magical river we have in our neighbourhood.

What does the Ōpāwaho give you?
Firstly it gives me peace. The Ōpāwaho is a river that helps takes worries away with a slow or fast paced walk along her banks. Secondly, it gives me adventure! Biking to the estuary and back was a fun ride. Thirdly, it gives me the people in the committee, working together and intellectually stimulating energy.

What do you give to the Ōpāwaho?
I talk to her all the time… lots of thoughts, long-term wishes, desires and thinking about how to improve her health.

If you had a magic wand for the Ōpāwaho, what would you do?
I would get everybody to suddenly notice that she is here and also to tackle the hard problems together, like reducing the sediment in the river (from copper from cars, the stormwater overflow). I would plant more trees and plants to get birds and insects, and also invest a lot of money into this, and make it so clean that you can swim in it again!

A few words to describe your connection with the Ōpāwaho.
Peaceful, adventurous.

What is one of your favourite the Ōpāwaho memories?
My 8-year-old daughter watering the ferns beside the river with the buckets provided. She loves doing that and feels as if she is one of the protectors of the ferns.

Photography and interview by Stephanie Defregger

Meet Alisdair Hutchison, one of our guardians and friend of the Ōpāwaho.

When did you meet the Ōpāwaho for the first time?
In 1974 I organized a flotilla of 20 boats that took elected representatives and key decision-makers up the Ōpāwaho from Ferrymead Bridge as far as the Radley Bridge. The purpose was to show them the enormous opportunities for recreation and ecological enhancement. The last sewage outfall to the River had recently been stopped.

Was it love on first sight?
I guess it was. I thought the lower river was a magical place. But so obviously in need of the community’s recognition, protection and love.

What does the Ōpāwaho give you?
Confidence from past achievements with water quality ecological reserves and riverbank walkways that people working together can bring about further major improvements for the river.

What do you give to the Ōpāwaho?
I support the Network’s passionate and talented advocates, activists and educators by making available to them my life experiences in environmental analysis and getting results.

If you had a magic wand for the Ōpāwaho, what would you do?
Obtain the unwavering commitment of the City and Regional Council to restore the ecological life of the river, and the Ihutai Estuary into which it flows.

A few words to describe your connection with the Ōpāwaho
“Te Mana o te Wai” (Te Mana o te Wai, or mana of the water, is about recognising the vital importance of clean, healthy water for maintaining the health of our waterbodies, freshwater ecosystems and the communities that rely upon them for their sustenance and wellbeing.)

What is one of your favourite Ōpāwaho memories?
The many boat trips up the river to introduce people to its issues, and to its charms.

What is one of your favourite childhood memories?
Fishing for herring in Monks Bay watching and listening to the tide ebbing and flowing past the jetty and absorbing the warmth of the afternoon sun.

Thank you.

Photography and interview by Stephanie Defregger

Meet Rachel Barker, one of our guardians and friend of the Ōpāwaho.

What is one of your favourite childhood memories?
Swimming in our farm creek near Hawarden with all of us jumping into its cold, deep pools.

When did you meet the Ōpāwaho for the first time?
25 years ago when employed as the city council’s Stream Enhancement Coordinator.

Was it love on first sight?
Absolutely. It was learning on first sight. Near the library I picked up a stone from the river bed and thought wow, there’s insects living here.

What does the Ōpāwaho give you?
Tranquility. Peace. Escape from the city.

What do you give to the Ōpāwaho?
A bit of tenderness, love and care. I talk to the river and tell her she’s beautiful. She has springs and life force.

If you had a magic wand for the Ōpāwaho, what would you do?
I would take people to more places like this reserve where there are springs, one of the sources of the river. There are so many varied walks to explore. And I would say no more sediment. No more nasties in this river.

A few words to describe your connection with the Ōpāwaho.
A real sense of heritage – my great great grandparents came here over the Bridle Path in 1851. They wrote in a letter home, “we saw an unpromising view of the promised land. All of it is streams and swamp.”

What is one of your favourite Ōpāwaho memories?
Planting together at the Ferrymead Saltmarsh, laughing, singing loudly to drown out the road noise, then ending with a cuppa and kai.

Thank you!