Writers' Trail ~ Marlborough

Taylor River Writers' Walk

POEMS ON RIVER BOULDERS CELEBRATE THE TAYLOR RIVER

The Taylor River Writers’ Walk was initiated in 2010 by Springlands Primary School.

A student’s poem about the river was engraved on a plaque and mounted on a riverside boulder. This was the beginning of the Writers’ Walk, which has been added to each year since with poems from other Marlborough schools. Poems have been added as follows:
 
2010    Springlands School
2011    Redwoodtown School
2012    Mayfield School
2013    Riverlands School
2014    Whitney Street School
2015    Witherlea School and Marlborough Girls College
2016    Blenheim School
2017    Renwick School
2018    Seddon School, Fairhall School and Rapaura School

The poems, all written by local school students, celebrate the importance of the Taylor River and help raise awareness of environmental values. 

Funding for the walk comes from the Marlborough District Council and Monumental Mason Geoffrey T. Sowman, who donates and engraves the granite plaques.

Read the poems

Read more about the Taylor River Writers' Walk up to 2014 here, the 2015 poems here, the 2016 poem here, the 2017 poem here and the 2018 poems here

Written by:  Chrissie Ward and Julie Kennedy
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The boulder with a poem from Mayfield School
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The boulder with a poem from Witherlea School
 GETTING THERE                                                                    
                                         
The Writers’ Walk can be accessed in several ways. One of the most pleasant is as a circular walk beginning at the car park in Beaver Road, off High Street. The first boulder is found a short distance downstream; it displays the first poem (from Springlands School) and the seventh poem (Marlborough Girls' College) side by side. The second boulder (Redwoodtown School) is visible a little further on, and the eighth (Blenheim School) beyond that, on the east side of the Henry Street Bridge.
Retrace your steps and go upstream to reach the third poem (Mayfield School), which is placed beside a seat.  The fourth poem (Riverlands School) is further on, near the High Street Bridge. Go under the bridge to the sixth poem (Witherlea School). The fifth poem (Whitney Street School) is the only one on the opposite side of the river. Cross the High Street Bridge to reach it. Continue downstream on that bank, passing the site of the old flax mill, and cross the river by the footbridge to return to Beaver Road.