A resilient Bay of Plenty lakeside community faced with the challenge of rising lake levels is diving into not one but three clean-ups during this year’s Keep NZ Beautiful Week.

The Lake Rotoma and Lake Rotoehu communities, who live amidst arguably some of the most picturesque landscapes of New Zealand, are turning adversity into an opportunity for environmental stewardship.

Two clean-ups are happening today, Sunday September 17, at Lakes Rotoma and Rotoehu, and one will be happening on Wednesday September 20 at Matahi.

“The Lake Rotoma clean-up, organised by Jo Rees, will be running from 9am today [Sunday September 17],” says local resident Jonette Meads.

“Everyone helping needs to meet at the Matahi Toilet Block at the very eastern end of Lake Rotoma to register.”

Registrations are required to comply with health and safety requirements, ensuring that everyone involved is accounted for.

“This is a land clean at Lake Rotoma, along the lake edge. Aotearoa Dive from Rotorua will also be there.”

Jonette says the Rotorua Lakes Council are supplying gloves and bags.

At 2pm today, Sunday September 17, another clean-up will be held up the Pongakawa Valley Road area, run by Julie Riggir.

“This is a land clean at the bottom of Pongakawa Valley Road. Loads of bottles have washed up with the increased lake levels.”

The local Lake Rotoma Rotoehu Community Association will be providing spot prizes during the two clean-ups today.

During the coming week, on Wednesday September 20, Dive Zone Tauranga will be coming to do a lakebed clean.

Jonette says every year two dive teams from Aotearoa Dive and Dive Zone Tauranga regularly come out with their dive students, and give back.

“They take bags, dive into the water, and pull out any rubbish they find on the lake bed. They will feel the fear/cold and do it anyway.

“Dive Zone Tauranga will be cleaning the lake bed at Matahi submerged boat ramp and playground areas from around 10am, Wednesday, September 20, and possible the same at Otangiwao Point [also known as Letterbox Point].

“We’ll be squeaky clean by the end of that week."

The road closure at Lake Rotoehu. Photo: Supplied.

Jonette says the two lakes are cut off from each other at the moment due to the road connecting them being flooded from the rising lake levels. Students from Rotoehu attending Rotoma School are no longer able to drive through with their parents.

“We have students from Kawerau, Rotoiti and Rotoehu, but Rotoehu can’t get through, so five kids have their parents drop them off at a closed road barrier and they walk knee deep about 120 metres through the flooded road water.

“They are resilient kids, and someone sponsored them gumboots to get to school.”

She says one family moved to Rotoma.

“One of the staff members navigates through the water to get to school each day. They live in Rotuehu, and walks through the flood as well to get to work.”

Jonette says there has been a clean-up happening outside the Lake Rotoma School as well, as part of the Keep NZ Beautiful Week initative.

“On Saturday, we had a Frock Swap. This was a fundraiser for Lake Rotoma School. It was also a meet and greet for our local wahine, and a big push to remind people of the disgusting amount of textiles that end up in landfill.”

Following the Frock Swap, anything not swapped will be going to the charity shops and op shops in Kawerau.

The week of clean-ups at the two lakes – Lake Rotoma and Lake Rotoehu - show a remarkable resilience and environmental commitment by a lakeside community faced with the ongoing challenge of a relentless and daunting battle against flooding.

Keep NZ Beautiful Week runs from September 16-23.