In November or December, 1964, the Gisborne Jaycees were tasked with planting spartina grass in the Taruheru River in front of the Botanical Gardens. The Jaycees were asked to do this as the Taruheru River was heavily polluted with all sorts of waste going into the river, including a drain from the town gas works, now Mitre 10 site.
The river was disgusting, dirty, full of rubbish and smelt awful. Property owners on the banks of the Taruheru River used the river as their dump. When the tide was out the mud was covered in rubbish and pongy.
This is where I learnt to swim by the old wooden-hump Garden’s bridge — gone now — which went from the end of Ballance Street, across the river to the Botanical Gardens. It was risky walking in the mud because of dangerous things like old tin cans, broken glass, etc, lurking just beneath the surface.
We were only allowed to swim in the river on an incoming, high tide, as it was considered unhealthy to swim at any other time.
The powers-that-be believed the planting of the grass would markedly improve the poor state of the river, encourage wading birds, mud crabs, etc, and reduce the dreadful smell.
