Plumber & gasfitter in Waikanae.

Waikanae runs from the foothills to the beach, and the houses tell the story — brick-and-tile from the seventies through nineties on the flat, older cottages near Waikanae Beach, and new builds pushing north. It is also a popular place to retire to, so plenty of homes are being reworked for the next stage: level-entry showers, easier-reach tapware, bathrooms without steps.

The brick-and-tile era came with copper pipework and low-pressure hot water cylinders, both now well into their second act. If the shower runs weak while the cylinder hums away in the cupboard, that is usually the pair of them talking. Swapping a tired low-pressure cylinder for a mains-pressure system is one of the most noticeable upgrades a house of this age can get.