Since 2004, a lot of much-needed love and care has been expended on Te Auaunga / Oakley Creek, central Auckland’s longest stream and home to its highest waterfall.
Friends of Oakley Creek Te Auaunga have planted thousands of native trees, trapped and baited for rats, possums and stoats, and weeded incessantly. They’ve also advocated for nature along its full length from Hillsborough, where it rises in Molly Green Reserve, 15km northwest to the sea at Waterview.
There’s lots of inspiring info on their website; and devote some time to reading Kennedy Warne’s 2013 love letter to Te Auaunga in NZ Geographic.