Black Creek, a tributary of the Wainuiomata River, gets its name from the dark water coloured by tannins.
Black Creek derives its name from the dark coloration of its water, originating from tannins in a former swamp which was drained in the 1880s to facilitate farming. Initially, what is now Fitzherbert and Upper Fitzherbert Road ran alongside the creek and was formerly referred to as Swamp Road. This area housed a flax mill and residential buildings at the base of the hills.
Today, the creek flows in straight lines through a grassy corridor between houses and hasn’t been in good condition for decades. A planting project could enhance the area’s beauty and provide protection for the creek as has happened with a similar straightened waterway that feeds into Black Creek, located in Parkway. That waterway was beautified in a section near a new housing area featuring a walkway leading to Wainuiomata central. It serves as an example of what Black Creek and other similar waterways in Wainuiomata could become.
