Fruitvale School students see a different side of their school stream
Straight after the school bell rang yesterday, a small but lively group of Fruitvale School students swapped their classrooms for gumboots and clipboards, heading down to Scroggy Stream for an afternoon of outdoor science. The stream — one of the Whau River’s many tributaries — flows quietly behind homes in New Lynn, but on this day it became an open air laboratory.
Guided by Catherine Albiston from Te Whau Pathway Project, and Amanda Hookman from EcoMatters Environment Trust, the children learned how to investigate the health of their local waterway. Using clarity tubes, thermometers and pH strips, they measured temperature, clarity, and acidity. They also looked closely at the tiny bugs and creatures living in the water to find out how healthy the stream really is.
Access to the stream was kindly provided by local resident Dennis Bergman, whose property on Fruitvale Road backs onto the creek. “When we first moved here in 1967, the creek was only about two feet wide,” Dennis recalled. “We used to play in it as kids — there were eels and ducks everywhere. But I haven’t seen eels here for about five years now, since the Auckland floods. The water used to be clear, now it’s milky. It’s not the same as it was.”
For some students, it was their first time getting up close to this section of the stream. “It’s my first time down here,” said Skylah, a student from Fruitvale School. “We learned how to test the water — by looking through the tube and using the little strip. I didn’t even know this was the same stream that goes behind our school!”
Her classmate Oscar was glad to be there too. “My favourite part of today was learning about the stream,” he said. “I didn’t know the stream was attracted to the sun!”
Classmate Connor was quick to connect science with observation: “I learned that the stream is more polluted than I thought. When we tested how far we could see through the water, I got 40, and most people got 30. You want it close to 100 — that means it’s clean!”
The stream’s health may not be perfect, but the kids’ enthusiasm was infectious. For the young scientists of Fruitvale School, the lesson was clear: even small creeks tell big stories — and every test, every observation, is a step towards restoring their mauri.
More about Scroggy Stream
While access to this part of Scroggy Stream is currently limited to private properties like Dennis’s, there’s growing community interest in creating a local walkway connection along the stream — a smaller companion for the Te Whau Pathway. Some residents have championed the idea of a neighbourhood walking route, Amanda says, that would link homes to the train station and green spaces. One day, perhaps everyone will be able to enjoy direct access to this special Whau River tributary.
