Syringes, raw meat, clothing, and nappies were among 14 bags of rubbish collected in Karangahake Gorge by a group of environmentally-minded students recently.
At the beginning of May, staff and students at Karangahake School noticed a large amount of rubbish had been dumped alongside the swimming hole at Bott’s Corner, in Karangahake Gorge.
“Rather than just drive past it like many do, we decided to take action,” school principal Terry Watton said.
“It was a practical way to show care for our environment and take pride in our place.”
Senior students Matt, Georgia, Cylis, Piper, Zaria, Charlotte and Jack, all aged between 11 and 13 years old, piled into the school van to set about clearing the mess. Armed with gloves, black rubbish sacks, and a very stern health and safety lecture, they spent an hour picking everything up.
It was disappointing, the students told The Profile, to find so much rubbish at the spot.
“There were mounds of it,” they said.
“[We were] pretty disgusted at people just dropping their rubbish.”
But despite the smell, they were determined to get it sorted. Their efforts were further bolstered by a passer-by in a Higgins truck, who tooted in acknowledgement as they worked.
“A few other people gave us a toot, and then he turned back up, and he was just absolutely rapt that someone cared enough to go and clean up,” Terry said, adding that the man had also turned up to school the next day with some coolie bags and gear bags for the kids.
“One of the things I’ve said to [the students] was that you just go and do stuff like this – you don’t expect anything in return,” he said.
“So for the Higgins guy to come back and give us some stuff, and volunteer to come back and do some other work for us, it was good.”
The rubbish bags were later picked up by one of the student’s parents, Tony Howes, and taken to the transfer station.
The group of students all said they wouldn’t hesitate to take action again in the future, but wanted to remind the public to have more respect for their community and environment.
“It’s just gross.”
