"For a singer, well, to not hear is a f***ed thing to go through in general but for me it's a career ender.
"I'd be stuck to paperwork and clearing the dishes or maybe I could write my novel? Lol," she said.
In a statement to the Herald, Moa said she expected to be able to make a full recovery.
"It's been a rough week with a really painful and scary ear infection and burst eardrum. I just want to reassure people that I'm on the mend and the doctors don't think that there'll be any long term affects," she said.
"I'm taking a few weeks to recover, but fully expect to be out on tour starting at the end of September as planned."
The singer said her wife and best friend had been angels and had been supporting her.
"Makes me teary thinking about it," she wrote on Instagram.
Fans have been quick to post messages of love and support for Moa, who said she had only just got up the strength to write the post.
"What a vulnerable feeling. Kia kaha wahine, you'll come back stronger than ever," one wrote. "Oodles of aroha and gentleness in the meantime."
Another pointed out that when an artist loses one way of making art, they find another creative outlet, saying "just allow yourself to heal."
On Monday Moa's publicists announced she and her band were going on tour, with concerts scheduled for Dunedin, Christchurch, Auckland and Wellington.
She planned to sing the entire songlist from 10-year-old album In Swings the Tide; she also had plans to bring her kids' show, "Songs for Bubbas: Chop Chop Hiyaaa!", to the South Island in October.