Brighton Boat Hire, a base for small boat excursions up the Otokia Creek for more than 100 years, is out of action due to a lack of water.
And, with an unpredictable sandbar dictating the level of the creek, business owner Antony Burtenshaw said yesterday there was no guarantee operations would resume this summer.
``We get a number of calls from people wanting to know when it's going to be open, but as I say, it's just nature and we can't do a lot about it.
``We are hoping to [operate again] but we don't know when. It may not happen this year. It's the unknown for us, unfortunately.''
Mr Burtenshaw bought the business in 2013 and spent between $10,000 and $20,000 restoring the boat shed and about two dozen boats, which had not been used since about 2010.
The boat hire business reopened in January 2016, drawing back customers who used to paddle up the creek as kids.
However, operations had come to a halt despite a hot start to summer, as the creek's water level ebbed and flowed in recent months, he said.
``It's almost dry around the boat shed. You can't put any boats in there, and you can't go very far up the creek because you run out of water.''
A period of low flow had been followed by the return of higher water levels, but also a warning to stay out of the water after the Otago Regional Council found unsafe E.coli levels earlier this month.
The creek was given the all-clear on January 15, but by then ORC contractors were needed to dig a new channel across Brighton Beach to the ocean, to allow the backed-up creek to flow freely.
The work was needed, but meant the creek and boat hire business were now ``back to no water'' again, Mr Burtenshaw said.
``It's not really the ORC's fault. It's just nature being nature for us, unfortunately.''
He still hoped to reopen the boat hire in time, but exactly when would depend on the sandbar, which determined the level of the creek.
It tended to close any gaps quickly in the past, as fresh sand arrived, pushing up creek levels and helping the boat hire business, he said.
``The first couple of years we were always digging out the sand bar, because it was blocking and it was starting to flood ... but as soon as it was open it would close again.
``It's only been the last 12 months it's wanted to stay open longer than be closed.
``It's just nature,'' he said.
