Repairs to famous Hundertwasser toilets on track

Repairs to Kawakawa’s famous Hundertwasser public toilets are on track for completion by the end of the month with the leaking roof-top garden removed and a new, water-tight replacement under construction.

The toilets were designed by world-famous Austrian architect and artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser and have become a significant tourist attraction for Kawakawa and the Bay of Islands since being built in 1999.

They were closed last month so a leak that was damaging the building’s interior plaster work could be repaired. The unique building is now completely shrouded in scaffolding and plastic wrap to protect it from further water damage and to allow repairs to continue in all weather conditions.

So far, workers have removed soil from the rooftop garden and a tree growing through the centre of the roof has been pruned to provide access. Brickwork edging and other decorative elements have been removed and stored, and the remainder of the damaged roof dismantled.

General Manager – Infrastructure and Asset Management, Andy Finch, says water damage to the building was not as serious as feared meaning work to reconstruct the roof could begin last week. Reconstruction will take approximately two weeks and will include improved lining techniques to waterproof the garden from the interior of the building.

The decorative brickwork edging will be reinstalled, and the roof top garden filled with soil and replanted by the end of August.

The toilets will be reopened in time for the official opening of the new Te Hononga community hub in September.