The Far North District Council is hoping they won't be needed, but three 30,000-litre water tanks have been installed on Kaitaia's A&P showgrounds, adjacent to the Te Ahu carpark entrance, as a precaution against the town's water supply running out.
Murray Soljak (Civil Defence Emergency Management) said Fonterra had undertaken to cart water from Kauri, outside Whangārei, courtesy of the Whangārei District Council, and was likely to make the first run before the end of the week. (Privately-owned tankers were "flat out" and would not be available).
"We don't expect an emergency supply to be needed by then, but we need a trial run so we can work out the timings for each trip," Mr Soljak said.
The council, which was paying for the tanks, would also provide containers for those who needed to take water and did not have their own.
Mr Soljak had no real idea how long each 90,000-litre delivery would last, but expected people to initially take more than they needed.