Valley Project manager Jen Rodgers said Creekfest was a grassroots celebration of the Lindsay Creek, which runs 7km through the valley.
The event was held at Chingford Park yesterday.
It was the first time the event had been held in three years and it was great to be able to celebrate the awesome awa (creek), talk about water quality and connect with each other, Ms Rodgers said.
South of Chingford Park, the creek had been subjected to flood protection work and was concreted.
Water testing indicated the presence of snails and worms, which did not suggest it was a healthy ecosystem.
The Valley Project was working with the city council to do riparian planting at the park, with the aim of improving biodiversity and water quality.
People could help by being mindful about what they bought and how they disposed of it.
Anything which drained off the street would end up in the awa, including cigarette butts, oil and rubbish.
In particular, people should wash their cars on grass or at a dedicated facility.
People could also get involved with the project by volunteering for planting, water quality testing, or rubbish clean ups.
There was work being undertaken to think about what the area could be like in 50 years.
It envisioned an ecological corridor from Orokonui through to the botanic gardens, where kākā could flourish, and the creek would be an integral part of that.
The Valley Project was grateful for the volunteers and the support of other organisations who had come together to make the event a success, she said.
New Zealand Tree Crops Association Coastal Otago branch chairman Donal Ferguson said the group’s most popular fruit variety at the festival had been been the Peasgood’s Nonsuch, an English variety of apple from the 1850s.
The group encouraged people to grow their own fruit and its orchard grew and distributed about 300 varieties of apples.
They had about half a dozen members in North East Valley alone — and the branch was growing all the time, Mr Ferguson said.
