Gisborne residents are still struggling without town water supply except for essential uses Photo: RNZ/ Ashleigh McCaull
More than a month after Cyclone Gabrielle hit, Gisborne locals are fed up with water restrictions as the council struggles to fix multiple breaks in the city's main pipeline.
It is a daily ritual most of us take for granted, but for whānau in Gisborne taking a shower is now a luxury that should not be longer than three minutes.
The city is still in a water crisis, with tight restrictions which meant households can only use water to drink, wash in, and prepare food. Outdoor use is banned.
And then there is the off-putting colour of the water, as local man CJ Houkamau explained.
"When I do you know run the bath, it's brown. Like the water's brown. Sometimes we'll use our drinking water depending how much we have. Yeah it does take an affect on your financials," Houkamau said.
CJ Houkamau said Gisborne's water was running brown Photo: RNZ/ Ashleigh McCaull
Mother Kristal Dench agreed, and said bottled water had bumped up living costs for her and her whānau. They were doing all they could to conserve it.
"Pretty much dry shampoo, washing our hair once a week. My daughter has really long curly hair as well, so once a week hair was for her as well. Can be a bit tortuous for her, but it is what it is and you do what you have to do to save water," Dench said.
Kristal Dench has been buying bottled water because of the supply problems Photo: RNZ/ Ashleigh McCaull
The restrictions were also making it hard for Sadie Start-Walter to keep on top of her family's laundry, which continued to pile up.
She was worried about her sister who appeared to have had an allergic reaction to what was coming out of the tap.
"When she's washing her face, she's tried washing her face with the water her face just flares up a bit, it gets really bad," Start-Walter said.
"We've taken her to the hospital and everything. It flares up, her face is swollen."
Sadie Start-Walter said laundry was building up at home, because of the water restrictions Photo: RNZ/ Ashleigh McCaull
Businesses were also still suffering with some restaurants and cafes only doing take-away orders to cut down on how much water they used.
The council required them all to have a reduction strategy and Verve Cafe owner Ray Totenberg said the restrictions made it hard to operate.
"Even though we still operate under the food safe regime we struggle to put dishes through the dishwasher and things like mopping floors.
"Can't do smoothies because cleaning the smoothie jugs use too much water. Closed off one toilet just to limit the use of the toilet," said Totenberg.
Verve Cafe owner Ray Totenberg with his staff Photo: RNZ/ Ashleigh McCaull
Zest Cafe owner Chithra Ramesh was forking out her own money to help her business stay afloat.
"We have all the staff to pay and rent to pay and you have electricity, everything else to pay but because of the water you cut down some of your menu items or some of your business side of it.
"So it's definitely affecting us, so where you have to invest from your pocket," Ramesh said.
Zest Cafe owner Chithra Ramesh Photo: RNZ/ Ashleigh McCaull
Totenberg said Gisborne businesses had taken a lot of hits over the past few years.
"With Covid, we've gone through earthquake strengthening, after that we've now had a number of flood events, we struggle to get eggs, we struggle to get a lot of supplies because of the transportation issues around roads being closed and that all adds up to extra costs," he said.
Gisborne District Council said the brown colour of the water was because of high iron levels in the Waipaoa River, but it was safe to drink even though it might taste metallic.
The council said the good news was that the fine weather was helping progress fixing the broken pipes.
Although some level of treated supply from the Waingake pipeline to Gisborne was on track for the end of March, there was still no word on when exactly the supply would be back to normal.
