Queenstown's water woes pose threat to clean green image

Sunday, 19 November 2023

The resort town has had to adapt to long standing boil water notices after a contaminant seeped into the water supply.

Ahead of a busy summer season Queenstown hospitality businesses say continued boil water notices are , “embarrassing” and “tainting people’s experience” of the tourist town.

Continuing boil water notices have plagued the resort town since September, thanks to a cryptosporidium outbreak that has led to 72 cases of cryptosporidiosis .

The source of the outbreak is still unknown and it’s uncertain when residents will have to stop boiling water. This week locals were told the boil water notice had been extended by another four weeks.

The result is business owners encountering aggrieved tourists who say the situation is at odds with the nation’s ‘100% Pure New Zealand’ marketing that draws many to holiday there.

Lomond Lodge Motel manager Lauren Harris said it was frustrating for guests.

“We send out an email prior to them arriving and we provide a glass bottle with a cap so that they can pre boil water.

“We’ve found the amount of plastic has increased inside the rooms. We empty the recycling bin every second day now when before it was like once every two weeks.”

It’s not just hotels. Captain’s Steak and Seafood Restaurant manager Benedicte Greenland said they had installed a water filter.

Hotels have told their guests to use kettles to pre boil water so that when they come home from a day trip, there’s a ready supply waiting.

“From what I’ve heard, most other businesses have done the same. It was really hard before that. We were having to boil water for everything we did so everything took longer.”

Queenstown Lakes District Council has been working to install a barrier at its Two Mile water treatment plant to stem the bacteria but general manager for property and infrastructure Tony Avery said it was only one part of the overall project.

“We’ll also be cleaning and flushing the entire network supplied by Two Mile. It will include draining and cleaning Fernhill #1 Reservoir as well as cleaning and inspecting all other network reservoirs.

“We’ll also be flushing the piped network to ensure any sediment where cryptosporidium could potentially still reside is displaced.”

Avery said that whilst the possibility of contamination during these activities was low, it was still really important that people in affected areas kept boiling their water.

Alexis Motel manager Morgan, who didn’t want to give her surname, said the establishment had received bad reviews because of the water situation.

The Queenstown Marathon is anticipated by hotel managers to put a strain upon the town

“It’s hard because it’s nothing to do with us.” While the date [for end of boil water notices] was given for December, residents speculated it would endure longer.

Morgan said the town was going to feel the strain during this weekend’s Queenstown Marathon, anticipated to attract 12,000 people.

Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods disagreed that tourists would be turned off by the boil water notices. “Perceptions of Queenstown as a visitor destination continue to be very positive, with the boil water notice having very little impact on appetite to visit the region.

New Destination Queenstown chief executive Mat Woods.

“Our destination perceptions research shows that two-thirds of New Zealanders and Australians say Queenstown is a highly appealing destination - well above the national average.

“Expected visitor numbers for summer are also looking strong.”

Woods praised businesses and tourism operators for their resilience.

But visitors to Queenstown won’t be the only ones contending with the country’s water woes, with issues including unswimmable beaches in Auckland and possible water shortages in Wellington.

Wellington is leaking so much water that residents may face restrictions over summer.

In Wellington, residents are using 35 million litres of water a day and Wellington Water said the city’s leaking infrastructure meant it was already starting to dip into stored reserves.

With a dry summer forecast, the best case scenario is for the lawns of Airbnbs to be a bit browner than normal with restrictions on sprinklers and outdoor hoses. But the worst case scenario is level 4 restrictions which would mean two-minute showers, one load of laundry per person per week and a ban on all outdoor water use.

It’s not the first time New Zealand has faced accusations that the quality of water had defied the infamous tourism slogan.

In 2017, Tourism New Zealand (TNZ) released a video showed a woman about to drink water from a river, leading to accusations the organisation was peddling a 'dangerous lie' to unsuspecting visitors.

At the time, TNZ chief executive Stephen England-Hall said he believed the brand has plenty of life left in it yet.

'We're not making an environmental claim, or promoting an environmental standard.'

A Tourism New Zealand spokesperson said “100% pure” was still an appropriate slogan. “New Zealand is known for its natural environment and it’s important we all aim to protect and care for our home.”