‘Flush’ new look for public toilets at Paihia Beach

A $100,000 community-led project to redevelop the southern end of Paihia’s main beach has delivered a family-friendly adventure area and prompted the council to bring forward a revamp of public toilets to tie in with the project.

While many additions for the newly designed area are now in place, renovation of the existing public toilet block will take longer than expected due to a more significant upgrade being required. The toilets are now due to reopen in mid-July, with portable toilets on-site in the meantime.

Focus Paihia is leading the revamp of the reserve area at the southern end of Marsden Road, thanks to a private donation of $100,000. Several eye-catching features have been installed, including a rock-lined water feature cascading down the hillside, a large children’s slide, a reclaimed pathway above, and newly planted and landscaped areas below. Steps to the recovered hillside track, a boardwalk, fencing, and nature play areas have also been added. Road access to the area has been reduced to a service lane with a removable bollard to limit traffic to the newly created area.

A planned upgrade of the toilets by the council was brought forward from next year to work in with the current community project. The toilet upgrade became more than a simple renovation after drainage issues were discovered and some timber joinery needed replacing. Work on the toilet block is being carried out by the project volunteers with funding to be provided by the council for that part of the project. The council is also contributing to improvements to the toilet pathway and an accessibility ramp from the reserve to the beach.

The toilet building has been repainted, all cisterns and basins have been replaced and drainage issues are currently being addressed. Tiling is due to start next week.

The entire project is in its third week and is being overseen by Focus Paihia’s Grant Harnish, with the support of over 100 volunteers. Sarah Greener, a volunteer on the project team, says experts have been brought in as required for specialist elements like the water feature and for safety advice, but the work of volunteers has been invaluable.

“A community-led project has a different dynamic and having so many volunteers, as well as the support of local businesses, has enabled us to make the donated funds go further. It goes to show what a community can achieve together with a clear plan.”

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