Draft:Sams Creek (New Zealand)

Sams Creek, previously known as Rogers Creek, is a stream in Golden Bay / Mohua, New Zealand.

Location
Sams Creek is located on the south side of the Lockett Range. The lower reaches of the waterway is located on land that belongs to North-west Nelson Forest Park, with the land classed as conservation park under the Conservation Act 1987. The upper reaches are located in Sams Creek conservation area, with the land classed as "specially protected area".

Where Sams Creek originates, the Kill Devil Track follows the ridgeline of the Lockett Range. The track is located just outside of the boundary of Kahurangi National Park. A major tributary is Sams Creek Middle Branch. Sams Creek crosses the Cobb Road under a long bridge just before flowing into the Tākaka River.

History
The original name of the creek was Rogers Creek, after the Rogers family who owned land and farmed at Upper Tākaka. The original settler was John Rogers, who bought of land; he died in 1898. His grandson, Fred Rogers, cut the track in 1936 on the true-left of the Tākaka River gorge from Upper Tākaka towards the Cobb River that became the Cobb Road. On a 1953 survey map, the creek is still shown as Rogers Creek, with its tributaries labelled South, Middle, and North Branch. In an advertisement from 1887 for an occupation license, the waterway was referred as Sam's Creek, though. When Fred Rogers had cut the Cobb Road, the bridge tender referred to Sam's Creek in February 1937.