If you’re in Dunedin and feeling a little bit parched, go with the flow of eager water receptacle fillers and get some spring water from the Speight’s water tap.
The tap may resemble a keg, but you’ll draw no ale from this nozzle. Instead, fresh spring water emanating from the depths of Dunedin comes to the surface via the tap outside the Speight’s Brewery on Rattray Street. Elixir may be too strong a word – no one can say for certain if the water has magical curative properties – but, magic aside, Speight’s water certainly tastes good, and it’s a sure-fire cure for the dries.
Controlled by a foot pedal, the cleverly-designed tap is contactless and pumps out about a million litres a year to happy and hydrated locals. There’s no need to worry about germs, either. The wide tap nozzle means that anyone who attempts to drink straight from the tap will get a soaking.
With water this good, it’s no surprise that Mr Speight and his mates chose this site to build their brewery. Time hasn’t altered the process, either: most of Speight’s beer is still made with water from the spring. So, if you’re a fan of non-chlorinated and non-fluoridated water, you’re a home brewer or just someone who likes a tasty drop of Adam’s ale from time to time, grab a container and head to Speight’s to hydrate.