George Creek is a tributary of the Wainuiomata River, situated within the protected water catchment area.
George Creek (George Wood Stream) is a tributary of the Wainuiomata River, located within the protected Wainuiomata Water Collection Area. The creek was named after an early settler, either George Wood or George Farrow Wood, and it plays an important role in the region’s water supply network. The catchment itself is one of the largest remaining areas of lowland native forest in the lower North Island and is carefully managed to protect its rich biodiversity.
A weir on George Creek collects water which is piped directly to the Wainuiomata Water Treatment Plant. Together with water from the Wainuiomata River, around 15 percent of Wellington’s annual drinking water comes from Wainuiomata. The current system was established in 1988 when the old Morton Dam was decommissioned and replaced with modern intake structures that operate without the need for reservoir storage. Because there is no storage, the treatment plant is sometimes shut down temporarily during periods of very low river flow or when water quality is affected, with additional water then sourced from the Hutt Valley.
The creek is part of a wider water infrastructure network that links to the Orongorongo catchment via an access track and pipeline, sections of which follow George Creek Road and connect with the Orongorongo Tunnel. In 2023, severe flooding damaged infrastructure in the area, leading to the construction of a new bridge over the creek to restore access for water supply operations.
Although it is a modest watercourse, George Creek is part of Wellington’s drinking water supply and lies within an ecologically significant area of native forest. The catchment remains closed to public access to protect its pristine environment, which is home to a variety of native species and subject to ongoing conservation and pest control efforts.
Gold
George Creek also has an intriguing connection with Wainuiomata’s nineteenth-century gold-prospecting history. In 1880, the Evening Post referred to it as George Wood Stream and identified the area near the creek as the location of a quartz reef associated with Hugh Sinclair. The reef had first attracted attention during the gold discoveries of 1869, when quartz from Wainuiomata was examined and found to contain small quantities of gold.
Later geological accounts referred to a reef on Sinclair’s land in the upper part of Wainuiomata, with subsequent reporting placing it near George Creek. Prospectors sank a shaft in an attempt to intercept the reef underground, although it is not known exactly where those workings were located or whether any trace of them survives today.
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