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northland: general info
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Name: Hundertwasser Toilets
Address: Giles Street
City: Kawakawa New Zealand
Price: donations welcome
What's it like?
Created in 1997 by Austrian Friedrich Hundertwasser, the public toilets are the main, and only, reason
to stop in Kawakawa. The ceramic columns supporting the entrance are fashioned from old bits of terracotta, glazed plant pots
and brick. Light is shed though wall panels made of bottles.
Hundertwasser first came to New Zealand in the early 1970s. In 1975 he purchased the farm near
Kawakawa where he is no buried. He became a New Zealand citizen in 1986 and in 1990 was declared a Living Treasure of New Zealand.
The Kawakawa toilet block has put the Northland town on the international tourist route and travelers from around the world pay
homage to the man and his unique, architectural charm. During construction, the use of local labour and talent was encouraged
by Hundertwasser. Tiles used in the project were made by students from schools in Kawakawa, bricks came from local buildings and
the windows were constructed using old bottles from the district.
In 2000, Creative New Zealand awarded this Hundertwasser building the Premier Award in Urban and Landscape Design; the project
was congratulated as being innovative, proud and very creative while embracing and enhancing the community. The $6000 prize money went
towards funding the Kawakawa arch at the town entrance that was designed after his style and erected after his death.
If you know of a great destination we're missing,
review it for us!!
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