The longer I spend in New Zealand, the more I notice more subtle cultural differences. Something that’s caught my attention is the water abundance. Initially, I thought, gosh, there is a lot of water here. Christchurch sits on top of this massive aquifer. The mountains are filled with glacier-fed rivers. It seems to me that there is a lot of clear, drinkable water in this country. However, this impression came from me spending time in New Zealand wilderness.
Before I go any further, it’s important to note this: growing up in Utah, in the American west, I view water as something scarce. Even as someone with access to clean water, I recognize that the resource is precious and should be used thoughtfully. When hiking in the national parks of southern Utah or up 14ers in Colorado, water was always the key thing to bring. And you should make sure to bring enough of it, too. Water filters and purifying tablets are good to have, but water sources can be few and far between so carrying enough water for days is not uncommon.
However, New Zealand is different, at least in the areas where I’ve hiked. Most of the rivers are glacier-fed and drinkable without treatment. Going on a weekend trip with the tramping club was my first exposure to this water abundance, but at the time, I thought it was just the specific region. Then I encountered it a second time on a backpacking field trip. By the third and fourth times it started to sink in that the water situation is different for hikers.
On the backpacking field trip, our professor kept advising us not to carry too much water, warning us about the weight. He said there would be natural places to refill our bottles. During two four-day trips along New Zealand’s Great Walks, I heard hut rangers recommend that hikers carry 1L of water (or less) as there would again be plenty of spots to refill. I listened to a story of a Kiwi tramper carrying just a cup (no water bottle) while walking the Milford Track because there are so many clean water sources between each hut. Occasionally, I saw water faucets trickling water with a sign that read “overflow, do not turn off.” Don’t turn off? What? I thought that was crazy, especially given how many hikers come through the huts each day. How do they not run out of water???
I wasn’t the only one weirded out by this situation; I met quite a few Australians on the Great Walks and like myself, they come from a place where water is scarce. Clearly, the environment in which we are raised affects who we are as individuals. These trips have made me reflect on my own worldview as I ask myself: just how much does the simple but crucial resource of water influence how I see the world? It’s a big question and I’m still trying to answer it.
Of course, the water quality changes once you reach agricultural land. One of the students in my apartment wrote a report on this topic and he generously shared some information that contrasted with my experiences in the mountains. I had developed the impression that most/all of New Zealand’s water was clean, but alas, that is not the case. Apparently, there is a big issue with nitrogen pollution from cows in the rivers. Water rights are also a hot topic here. I guess New Zealand has water problems just like we do.
Quick tangent: remember the two Australians I mentioned earlier? Well, conversing with them helped me realize another environmental difference. While I was talking to them, I mentioned I was from Utah and one of them said he had visited Zion National Park in the off season (January or so). For him, it was incredibly strange seeing snow on red rocks because he always equated red rocks with heat growing up in Australia. I usually think of heat when I think of Moab, Zion NP, or southern Utah in general, but at the same time, I don’t blink an eye when I see pictures of Bryce Canyon with a light covering of snow. The three of us shared the desert environment in common, but interestingly, our deserts are a little different. I thought this was neat.