Today I went out on the Watercare Harbour Clean-Up Trust boat. We set off at a leisurely pace from downtown auckland in a rugged little boat (they are getting a new one next month) and headed under the Harbour Bridge out to the entrance to the Whau river. We kayaked over to Pollen Island and in just a few hours filled 9 bags with plastic before heading back. Amongst the expected bottles, bags and wrappers we also found:
- One of those really old coke bottles with the removable black base
- Lots of balls and kids toys
- Fishing gear
- x4 Syringes (Needles)
- A geo-cache
- x2 LPG Canisters
These guys have been doing this for 10 years and made a huge difference to the health of the Harbour. There is still a lot of historical waste to remove but we desperately need better source control. Interestingly they would prefer plastic to break down slower so it is easier to collect and remove. I left a lot of toxic little bits in the sand and rushes. I am looking forward to heading out again with Skipper Ben and hopefully the organiser Hayden Smith who are both awesome guys.