No swim warnings are closer to becoming a thing of the past for Aucklanders - as a $1 billion WaterCare project moves to the next step.
Pack your togs, grab your towel and check whether the beach is safe to swim in.
That is the routine Aucklanders have to follow before heading for a dip in the ocean.
Rain constantly leaks into sewage causing overflows that contaminate our waterways.
Now a billion dollar Water Care project is hoping to clean them up.
Downpours can quickly make beaches a health risk - earlier this year 50 were declared no swim zones after a heavy downpour.
Now the biggest waste water project in New Zealand hopes to tackle Auckland's sewage and water woes.
The $1.2 billion Central Interceptor tunnel is eight months into its five year construction.
At 15 kilometres long, it will run underground from Grey Lynn to Mangere to collect sewage and storm water, preventing it overflowing into our waterways.
The focus is on completing the main shaft in Mangere before the tunneling starts in the next few months.
Lead Engineer for tunnel and shaft, Bojan Jovanovie, had been part of the process for over six and a half years, way back when it was in its design process.
After several years waiting, the tunnel boring machine that will do all the drilling has received a warm welcome.
"Yeah when the tunnel boring machine arrived it was a bit like Christmas. Since then we've been unpacking it, preparing it for launch."
Manukau Harbour. Photo: RNZ / Jessie Chiang
While drilling, they hit a layer of sand 35 metres below the surface, finding treasure that is now providing Auckland museum with a rare glimpse into our sea beds.
"Lots of interesting shells, been through shell beds that are 3-4 million years old, various whale vertebrae and other shells that have never been seen before."
The journey will take them though the Manukau harbour where they will dig as low as 110 metres down.
The 200 metre long train-like machine had a set of spinning blades at the front - guided by one crew member from a narrow cabin filled with buttons.
Watercare's Executive Programme Director Shayne Cunis explained what was behind the tunnel boring machine's name.
"We've got our tunnel boring machine Hiwa-i-te-rangi. She was named after a Matariki star by the local school children it's where you send your hopes and dreams for a prosperous new year we felt it was very appropriate considering the year we've had."
He said the machine was vital to cleaner, greener waterways.
"We'd all like to be able to go the beaches after it rains and not have to worry about whether we will we get sick and the central interceptor is the corner stone of that improvement programme."
He said it was long overdue.
"The need has been there for a long time I guess we reached the point where we had to do it it's taken ten years of planning to get to this stage and it's actually going to take longer to plan this project than it is for us to deliver it."
Waste water will be collected from Grey Lynn, Block house Bay, Mount Roskill and Onehunga through the tunnel, then it's all processed here at the Mangere Waste Water treatment plant.
So for swimmers, it was good news.
"I do go swimming in a number of those beaches. It's gonna be great when you don't have to worry about the fact that it's rained two days before and you can just go out for a swim because it's a great day to go swimming."
