Road trips are always a Kiwi’s go-to holiday idea so why not explore your backyard and have a little tiki tour. As you travel through this beautiful country you are destined to need to use a bathroom after the consumption of copious amounts of roadie snacks. Forget boring public toilets – put these must-see bathrooms on your road trip itinerary!
Please note that facility information was correct at the time of publication. We recommend not leaving your ablutions to the last minute just in case something changes!
KAWAKAWA
First up is KawaKawa, a small Northland town that has become a tourist attraction thanks to its unusual public toilets. Designed by Austrian artist, Friedensreich Regentag Dunkelbunt Hundertwasser, these toilets are the only place in the Southern Hemisphere where you can experience Hundertwasser’s unique art. Made mostly out of recycled materials and built around a living tree with a rooftop garden, this unique bathroom is a free artistic experience and environmentally friendly.
MATAKANA
On your way down to the coast? Make sure you stop in at the Matakana Public Toilets, 163 kilometres south near Auckland. After winning a design competition, Auckland student Steffan de Haan’s work was brought to life. The sculpted toilets took seven years to complete costing $400,000 but are unique enough to encourage tourists to stop off and enjoy the artwork and a bite to eat at the Matakana markets.
GORDONTON
Gordonton is a place to stop and smell the roses. Their small public toilet facility is filled with roses and cherry blossoms and even has a visitors’ book for people to sign on their pitstop. One wall is painted bright yellow, making it a joyful experience for travellers passing by. The facilities are also wheelchair friendly.
REDWOODS
The Whakaerwarewa Forest in Rotorua is home to a range of exotic trees and bathrooms out of a fairytale. The design of the cylinder toilets replicates the surrounding California Redwoods and are even more stunning at night where they are lit up to display intricate stencils of local flora and fauna.
TOKOROA
The toilets in Tokoroa were uniquely designed to represent the Southern Cross constellation, a symbol of the different ethnicities and cultures that have used this navigation tool throughout history. Five individual toilets are placed in the area and are joined by a covered walkway for shelter, they also vary in height, a nod to the sizes in the constellation while creating an eye-catching sculpture. The toilets are still under construction but will be open for business in March this year.
MANGATAINOKA
Mangatainoka is a small settlement in the Tararua District in the North Island. It’s in this small town at the Tui Brewery that beer kegs have been recycled into seats and urinals. Seems like a fitting feature to have at a Brewery.
WELLINGTON
The Wellington waterfront toilets, otherwise known as “lobster loos” or “crayfish crappers”, opened in 2011 and soon became a big tourist attraction. The toilets came third in the world’s best toilets in 2015, and were designed by Architect Bret Thurston creating bathrooms that were both functional and creative while fitting in with the surrounding heritage buildings.
INVERCARGILL
Invercargill is home to Transport World, which also happens to include a unique men’s bathroom. Fuel station inspired, water is dispersed by Shell oil pumps, door handles are made of fuel pumps, and while you’re taking care of business, you can look out a one-way mirror to the showroom full of vehicles.
Where is your go-to pitstop?
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