Motions Creek

Motions Creek is a creek in Auckland, New Zealand. It flows northwards from Western Springs Reserve on the Auckland isthmus, entering the Waitematā Harbour to the east of Meola Reef.

Geography

The creek originates at Western Springs Reserve, flowing northwards through the suburb of Western Springs, adjacent to Westmere. The creek flows into the Waitematā Harbour to the east of Meola Reef, parallel to Meola Creek, which flows into the Waitematā Harbour to the west of the reef. The lower tidal sections of the creek are bordered by mangrove forests.
The Motions Creek catchment spans an area of of Auckland, beginning from northern Maungawhau / Mount Eden and including the suburbs of Eden Terrace, Morningside, Arch Hill, Kingsland, parts of southern Grey Lynn, and western Westmere. The majority of the upper reaches of the catchment are piped, with the stream visible as it flows through Western Springs Reserve and the Auckland Zoo. Prior to the construction of the lake at Western Springs, the area was a natural freshwater aquifer, where water comes through the surface through cracks in basalt lava flow from Te Tātua a Riukiuta.

History

The Tāmaki Māori names associated with the stream are Waiorea, associated with Western Springs Reserve, and Waiateao. The kāinga Te Rehu, dating to the 1820s, was located beside the creek estuary.
In 1846, Scottish settler William Motion established Low and Motion's Four Mill on the banks of the creek, which operated until 1875. During the early colonial period, the creek was known as Mill Creek, eventually becoming known as Motions Creek, after William Motion. In the 1870s, the Auckland City Council purchased Motion's property, establishing an artificial lake on the creek, and constructing the Western Springs Pumping Station, which operated from 1877.
The Motions landfill operated adjacent to the stream between 1930 and 1972.