If you've travelled overseas, you'll know how good it feels when you touch down back in God's Own, unpack the bags and pour yourself a glass of water. During your travel abroad, chances are that you've stuck to bottled water because you can never trust the stuff that comes out of the tap.

Most of us who've travelled overseas have at some stage suffered from an upset stomach and are bewildered as to how it occurred given that we've been so careful with our water intake. But then at some stage we've all dined out, and if you've had a salad for example, chances are the contamination's come from the water used to wash it. Or if we've enjoyed a cocktail, the ice cubes could harbour the gastric bug.

New Zealand has prided itself on being 100% Pure, we've sold the reputation internationally. Few of the more than 3.3 million visitors who came here last year would argue with that.

That's why the Havelock North water contamination issue is more than a kick in the guts for this country, and that's why we have to get to the bottom of it to ensure that the damage to our reputation is kept to a minimum.

The Beehive's ordered an inquiry into the dirty water which, as of last Sunday, has seen 168 confirmed cases of campylobacter with a further 355 suspected cases. More than 4000 peopl have fallen ill in the town and further cases are likely to be reported with the gastro illness taking up to ten days to incubate.

Those confirmed with campylobacter can go on to suffer reactive arthritis, or worse still a more rare disease that attacks the peripheral nervous system leading to paralysis.

So we're talking a serious health issue here, with tests of the Havelock North bores continuing to show faecal contamination.

Announcing the inquiry, Prime Minister John Key said there were many moving parts to the issue. Too many if you ask those who've fallen ill.

Key also said everything was on the table with the inquiry. Yeah well, except the jug of tap water if you're in the stricken town.

There's a tragic irony of where the dirty water's seeped into the system and that's the leader of it: The long-serving Mayor of the Hastings District is Lawrence Yule, who also happens to be the President of Local Government New Zealand and who lists as two of his particular interests as being water and waste water issues.