With summer holidays approaching many are preparing to relax and switch off – but for most Kiwis that doesn’t mean leaving their gadgets at home.

During last year’s Christmas holiday period, Vodafone customers used a whopping 1,845 Terabytes of data on the network – up 72 per cent during the same period the year before.

That’s enough data to binge watch over 615,000 HD episodes of your favourite TV show this summer.

“Every summer we see an increasing demand for data on our network, especially over the Christmas and New Year break, and we’re expecting those figures to continue to rise this year,” said Vodafone’s Technology Director, Tony Baird.

Vodafone has invested heavily in its network in the lead up to Christmas this year, spending more than a million dollars upgrading cell sites around the country’s most popular holiday hotspots.

New 4G capacity has been added to the Matapouri, Whangaruru, Hahei, Whangamata South, Pauanui South, Ohope Beach, Matarangi, Kaiteriteri Tapu Bay and Bulwer/Marlborough sites to ensure continued connectivity for customers in the area over the holiday period.*

The network investment is part of a series of planned upgrades ahead of an expected influx of holiday makers at the popular holiday hotspot over the summer months.

“Whether it’s sharing holiday snaps on social media or keeping tabs on the business from the bach, Kiwis will do it all from their smartphones, laptops and tablets this summer. We’re working hard to ensure our network is up to the test again this year,” Tony said.

Last Christmas, Opito Bay, Otematata, Kaiteriteri and Matarangi were the country’s most connected holiday hotspots, based on data usage at the popular locations.

*4G not available everywhere and requires a capable device. See vodafone.co.nz/4G.