Top-tasting and $1 for 200 litres

Jo (left) and Fred Roberts give tap, filtered and bottled water the taste test. Picture / Martin Sykes

Aucklanders, it seems, are just as happy drinking tap water as paying up to $3 a litre for the so-called crisp taste of spring water.

With summer on us, Auckland City's water company, Metrowater, says its water is not only safe and healthy but up to 600 times cheaper than bottled water at 0.5c a litre.

A blind tasting by 11 people at Mission Bay yesterday found a preference for tap water, followed by filtered water. Kiwi Blue water, bottled by Coca-Cola Amatil, was the least preferred. It cost $6.50 for a four-pack of 1.5-litre bottles.

Most tasters said they drank tap or filtered water but there was a tendency for people to buy bottled water on the go or at the gym. Chris Jones, of Meadowbank, said he would often buy a 1.5-litre bottle of water and refill it with filtered water until the bottle got manky.

"I object to paying for water. I'm quite happy with the water supply in Auckland," said Billie Hurdley, of Kohimarama.

Coca-Cola corporate affairs manager Aimee O'Driscoll said the tasting was inconclusive. Kiwi Blue came from a spring at Putaruru and had pure air filtered through it to produce a "fantastic quality and taste", she said.

The Consumers Institute undertook a similar taste test as part of a report on bottled water, published this month. Many of the 17 Consumer staff found it hard to tell the four still waters, including Wellington tap water, apart.

Nearly half the Consumer staff said they would happily accept all the still waters as their everyday drinking water. Evian and Wellington tap water came out tops.

The Consumers Institute commissioned scientific analysis on 18 bottled waters and tap water from Wellington and Christchurch. It found Vichy Celestians natural sparkling water from France, costing $8.60 a litre, contained fluoride levels that breached the food standards code. The institute was also concerned about the health claims of some bottled water.

A survey of 464 people found 12 per cent of people bought bottled water for health reasons, 14 per cent for the taste and 30 per cent for convenience. The other 44 per cent said they rarely or never bought bottled water.

Belinda Allan, of the institute, said there was no need to spend a lot of money on expensive drinking water in the belief it was better than tap water. However, she said bottled water was convenient and a handy alternative to soft drinks and juices away from home.

Belinda Allan and Metrowater water quality engineer Snezana Nikolic said the best way to get rid of the taste of chlorine in tap water was to boil it or put it in a jug in the fridge for a couple of hours before drinking.


Why buy bottled

* A Consumers Institute survey of 464 people found 12 per cent of people bought bottled water for health reasons.
* 14 per cent bought it for the taste.
* 30 per cent bought it for convenience.
* The other 44 per cent said they rarely or never bought bottled water.