The popular water fountains were installed earlier this year, inside and on the deck of the ecosanctuary’s main building, with support and funding from Rotary Dunedin, Tap Water Wells, and Use Your Own Cup.
The water fountains were the brainchild of University of Otago food science PhD students Victoria Purdy and and Rebecca Roberts, who came up with the idea while attending a Rotary Youth Leadership Award programme in 2019.
Rotary Dunedin came on board to support the project, helping to facilitate the sourcing and site for the water fountains, and funding their installation.
Rotary Dunedin member Fiona Nyhof said the overall cost of the community project was $8000-$10,000.
"Organising the fountains and finding a site for them was quite complex, so it is great to have them here at the ecosanctuary for people to enjoy," she said.
Orokonui Ecosanctuary general manager Amanda Symon said the water fountains were plumbed in to the ecosanctuary centre’s UV-treated rainwater system.
"People really like the taste of the water — it is so pure," she said.
The water fountains, which were designed for refilling drink bottles, were foot-operated, which was a bonus during the Covid-19 pandemic, Ms Symon said.
Rotary Dunedin has a long-standing relationship with Orokonui Ecosanctuary, dating to about 2010, when club members spent several years building the Robin Valley Track boardwalk.
The track takes visitors to the valley floor, to New Zealand’s tallest tree — a eucalypt.
The club had also made a donation to the ecosanctuary, to help support it through the Covid-19 pandemic.
Ms Symon said despite the loss of international travellers, usually 25% of visitors, the ecosanctuary was coping very well, with local support.
"The school holidays and science festival were amazing — we had fantastic visitor numbers."
She thanked Rotary Dunedin for its ongoing support.
