public toilets and other New Zealand Off The Beaten Path Tips

This is perhaps the first VT tip to go an visit a public toilet!
the toilets in Kawakawa are really worth visiting though. They are glass-roofed and designed by the Austrian artist and painter Hundertwasser. He spent much of his time in New Zealand, he died in march 2000.
The toilets are on the main street of Kawakawa which is south of Paihai and Russell.
This photo is the outside of the toilet.

Leave a Comment

In inside of the Hundertwasser toilet in Kawakawa.
Friedensreich Hundertwasser was born as Friedrich Stowasser in Vienna in 1928. To start with he was known for his paintings but today he is more famous for his very unique and instantly recognised architectural style. He went to a Montessori school in Vienna, which is said to have influenced his like of vibrant colours and his respect for nature. In 1948 he did a three-month study at the “Akademie de Bildenden Künste” in Vienna and this was his only formal artistic training. In 1949 he changed his name to Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Hundertwasser had a house in Venice opposite the Piazza San Marco and drew inspiration from the ever-changing patterns in the water and the reflections of the light. He also got inspiration from Arabic music and nature. Hundertwasser's architectural style shows the influence of Antoni Gaudi's work in Barcelona as well as some Jugendstil architects. He used irregular forms in his building designs – he disliked the severity of straight lines in buildings. Hundertwasser felt that “Everyone should make his own architecture, he should be able to construct what he likes, with feathers, grass or paper, even if the building collapses.”

Leave a Comment

Just so there is no discrimation .... here is the inside of the mens room.
Hundertwasser's architectural designs also included topping buildings with trees and areas where animals can graze, and creating floor surfaces that are unlevel. Hundertwasser designed many buildings in Austria and around the world, including museums, schools and churches. His works have been used for flags and stamps, coins and posters, schools and churches.

Leave a Comment

Visit the Waipoua Forest Park and see the magnificent Kauri trees. The largest tree is said to be in its 1,500 years old and it has been names by the Maori's as Tane Mahuta. It is an easy five-minute walk from the parking area. It is 51 metres high, has a girth of 14 metres and a volume of 244.5 cubic metres. No photo captures its grandeur - you have to stand by it to feel that!

Leave a Comment

Phone: 09 439 3011
Other Contact: not far from Dargaville