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One of the driest Mays on record in Buller has prompted a water crisis in the northern towns of Ngakawau and Hector.
The reservoir supplying the towns is about a quarter full and Buller District Council has warned residents to conserve water.
Some homes are already on low pressure and Hector backpackers, The Old Slaughterhouse, is considering closing because its power supply is running out.
The backpackers relies on its own small hydro power scheme on Deans Creek, then returns the water to the creek which also feeds the local reservoir.
Owner David Bridger said the power scheme was only supplying half its usual daily amount of 24 kilowatts.
Mr Bridger said it was only the second time in 10 years his business had been short of power. At full capacity, his scheme used about a bucketful of water every two seconds.
"At the moment, it's about half a bucket of water or less. It's sucking air and I'm scratching around up there trying to bring water in from wherever I can find it really.
"But I haven't got a big problem. It's the people who are going to run out of water who have got the problem."
The local fire brigade had a tank to deliver water, but some residents had no storage, he said. He was trying to conserve power, and was enjoying the fine weather.
Hector resident, Fran Harris, who has lived in the area for all her 75 years, said she could not remember ever having water shortages in May.
Ngakawau Store owner Dennis Paxie said his water was now on lower pressure than normal. "But I'm not really affected because I don't use all that much."
The Met Service said Westport had had only 64mm of rain this month, 10mm more than the driest May on record in 1997 and just over a third of Westport's May average of 185mm.
The forecast is for fine weather tomorrow and Wednesday and a few showers Thursday and Friday. Westport's last recorded rainfall was 4.2mm on May 14.
- NZPA
