Navigating the Brook Stream waterways

Navigating the Brook Stream waterways a variety of freshwater creatures call the Sanctuary home

The pristine waters of Waimārama were essential to the existence of local iwi. It was a place to gather kai (food), plants used for rongoā (healing) and source pakohe – a valuable type of mudstone (indurated argillite) used to make tools.

With colonial settlement, the site that is now the Brook Waimārama Sanctuary was the location of Nelson’s water supply, fed by the Brook Stream, until being deemed obsolete in 1987.

New Zealand’s freshwater life is under threat – 72% of freshwater fish are endangered and 88% of our reptiles including frogs.  Understanding and protecting our waterways as a vital part of the ecosystem is a key conservation aim for the Sanctuary; happily the Sanctuary’s streams are full of life – an important indicator of healthy waterways.