With no mains water, it’s up to each household to capture and store their own water. This means collecting water from the roof, from bores or from springs in the hills, and storing it in tanks. This is different from the mainland.

Every drop of water is precious. If the tanks run dry we can’t just turn the tap on. Instead we collect and conserve as much as we can.

Summer 2019/20 was incredibly dry; much like Auckland, many of our usual water supplies ran dry. We are predicting that summer 2020/21 will also be a dry one.

If you are travelling to Aotea this summer, please make sure you help us by conserving water during your stay.

What does this mean for your holiday?

  • You’ll find very few baths and dishwashers
  • Put the plug in when you’re doing any washing up
  • Only flush the toilet when you need to. Toilets use on average 6 litres of water per flush
  • Take short showers – or even better, take a soak in the hot springs or mermaid pools
  • Have a go at saving the water from your shower for the plants or veggies in the garden
  • Most water is filtered or UV treated and your accommodation provider will most likely let you know. If in doubt, boil water to be safe.

The summer of 2020 was incredibly dry, like Auckland many of our water supplies that have never run dry, did. We are predicting that summer 2021 will also be a dry one, please make sure you help us to conserve water during your stay.

Rain collection from the roof for the garden
Outdoor bathroom
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