Stephen Hiscock believes he is hypersensitive to Wellington's fluoridated water. Photo / Getty Images
Every Sunday morning, Stephen Hiscock travels 20 minutes for clean drinking water.
Anyone would think he lived in a Third World country.
But Hiscock, an electrical engineer, lives with his wife and 6-year-old son in the heart of Wellington.
The 38-year-old has suffered from a range of undiagnosed issues including ongoing complications in his stomach, back and eyes.
He says the issues began when he moved to the capital, where the water is fluoridated.
Wellington dentists also placed fluoride-releasing fillings in his teeth which he claims heightened his health issues.
"I lived in Christchurch for 10 years and I was okay down there, but I came here and my health went rapidly downhill," he says.
Hiscock has spent thousands of dollars on doctors' visits for a diagnosis of his "broken body".
Medical specialists have investigated epilepsy, thyroid disease, testicular cancer and auto-immune disease.
But every blood test, scan and examination came back negative.
"I try to be as healthy as possible," Hiscock says.
"I exercise, eat organic food, I don't drink at all, don't smoke or take any kind of drugs."
Fed up with being sick, and accused of being a hypochondriac, he began researching his symptoms in medical journals and on the internet.
Hiscock believes he is among the small percentage of people who are hypersensitive to water fluoridation.
Hiscock no longer drinks water from the city's tap. Instead, he travels to Petone where the artesian water supply is non-fluoridated. "There is large reservoir of crystal-clear water in Petone and Lower Hutt, so my wife and I fill up 20-litre bottles each week.
"Since drinking and cooking with exclusively fluoride-free water, almost all of my major symptoms have slowly gone away."
One issue seemed harder to agree on than most - how big the crowd was.