Generally, the tap water in New Zealand is safe to drink and use in activities like brushing your teeth, especially within the larger cities. Quality in certain rural areas might vary after natural disasters such as earthquakes. The quality of the water can also depend upon its source location, due to minerals or being treated with chlorine.
If you prefer to err on the side of caution, bottled water is available for purchase in most locations. Restaurants and hospitality businesses in New Zealand are required by law to provide free drinking water to customers who request it.
It’s best to avoid drinking water from rivers, lakes, and other natural sources, as they might contain contaminants.
As for swimming, New Zealand has beaches and waterways aplenty. However, these waters can also be deceiving, as their conditions can change quickly. Exercise caution at the beach, where currents, rips (a strong channel of water with a strong current heading out to sea), and other events can occur. Rivers may also have strong currents, and lakes may have rocky or uneven bottoms.
If you see red and yellow flags at the beach, stay between them—these flags indicate which spots are safest for swimming. Never swim alone, and especially watch out for children; listen to the on-duty lifeguard’s instructions as well.
Practicing personal safety while in the water in New Zealand is crucial. Surf Life Saving NZ has tips on staying safe at the beach, with information on spotting hazards including rips, tides, waves, and holes (a deep area of the shore bed).
Through Safeswim, you can get up-to-date information on lifeguard patrol times, beach hazards, safety warnings, water quality, and swimming conditions at various locations.