Rotorua caravaners do their fair share

Rotorua chairman Brian Stanley (left), Terry Carroll (centre) and Robin Findon (right) with other members in the background. Photo / Ben Fraser

Gas bottles, an old clothes line and car batteries were among the rubbish pulled from the Waiteti Stream in a nationwide clean-up.

The Rotorua area of the New Zealand Motor Caravan Association spent Saturday cleaning up the stream area as part of the organisation's September rally.

About 30 members donned yellow jackets and set to work to do their bit in keeping New Zealand beautiful.

The association has recently bought a Ngongotaha property for members to use so thought the village should be the beneficiary of this year's clean-up. Last year they cleaned up in the Murray Linton Rose Gardens and the sulphur stream walkway behind Sala St.

"I can't understand why people can't take their rubbish to the dump," said area chairman Brian Stanley.

"The stream was covered in rubbish. We collected 30-odd bags. The idea is to try to encourage our members to clean up rubbish any time they stop for a cup of tea. Doing it once a year is the organised one but we want to get members into the habit of cleaning up.

"The association has 26 properties throughout the country and we've just bought one in the saleyards at Ngongotaha for members to park in overnight so we're now part of the Ngongotaha community."

The Rotorua area covers the Rotorua district as well as south Waikato, including Tokoroa, Putaruru and Tirau.