Kawakawa is situated in the rohe of Ngāti Hine. The rohe of Ngāti Hine is composed of hilly terrain, fertile valleys and large tracts of swampland. The main river is Te Awa Tapu o Taumerere and numerous creeks and swamps criss-cross the landscape. Into this landscape of swamp and hills settled the descendants of Hineāmaru, the ancestor of Ngāti Hine iwi.
In 1859 Maihi Paraone Kawiti (son of Ngāpuhi rangatira Te Ruki Kawiti) had asked the Governor (Gore Brown) to have the Kawakawa area settled by Pākehā and a town established. The Governor replied that he was pleased that Māori had agreed to sell the land around Kawakawa but favoured Kerikeri as the site of a town in the Bay of Islands. However, this decision was changed when coal was discovered in Kawakawa in the early 1860’s.
The Hundertwasser Public Toilets were created in 1999 and they are in the centre of town on the North Island main arterial route, State Highway 1, through Kawakawa. The building is nationally and internationally significant. This is the only public building to a Hundertwasser design in New Zealand which the architect/artist had direct involvement with its creation.
Hundertwasser has an international reputation as an architect, and has buildings in Europe, North America, Japan, and New Zealand. The buildings share common architectural features with the use of what he called tree tenants, spontaneous vegetation, and uneven floors. His buildings testify to his commitment to diversity instead of monotony, for unregulated irregularities, for living in harmony with nature, for beauty and for joy.
The public toilets started as a utilitarian concrete block structure built in 1969. The Kawakawa business community approached Hundertwasser (known locally as Fredrick) to have a building designed by the artist which would have a positive economic and artistic impact upon the town. It would make Kawakawa a destination, rather than a thoroughfare to places further north. The transformation of the building into something of beauty and a designed building which was in harmony with nature personally appealed to him as well as contributing to the community in which he now lived.
Renovation of the building was partly a community effort. The head builder and contractor were Mike Brouwers with assistance from Richard Smart and Doug Shepherd with contributions by Peter Yeates and Mike Woodman. The local Bay of Islands College students prepared the ceramic tiles, the bricks were from a former Bank of New Zealand building, recycled bottles were used, and the construction was completed by community volunteers.
The building is covered with solid plaster that is flowing in its form, recycled glass bottles are used in the building to allow light but at the same time provide privacy. The effect of the exterior building is flowing, colourful and playful it is human-centric. The roof is a living roof which includes flax, native grasses and its tree tenants. There are light and ventilation ducts on the roof that are glass with large golden balls encasing the vents. The roof has in profile two gentle curves with the centre of the roof demarcating the male and female toilets.
The interior of the building is a riot of colour, undulating surfaces, and curves while still functioning as a public toilet. The floors are a mix of large and small coloured tiles which are irregular in size and the floor is not flat but undulating. The walls are also not perpendicular but tiled and curve in a slight sinuous curve. Light comes into the building through the coloured bottle glass windows.
Colourful columns extend a veranda over the public footpath at the front of the building. There is a cobbled walkway which enters the building made from recycled bricks. There are also artworks of engraved clay tablets which show the outlines of trees and leaves in the walkway.
The building has not changed in form since it was constructed and remains in its original state as imagined by the visionary artist/architect. The building is a manifestation of the philosophy that the building should be a peace accord with nature. This is articulated by using recycled materials and the use of a living roof. It also expresses the vision that harmony with beauty and harmony with nature makes us really feel good; it brings joy. It is a joyful building to be in and explore. It is unique in New Zealand as it is the only public building that Hundertwasser was directly involved with.
In 1859 Maihi Paraone Kawiti (son of Ngāpuhi rangatira Te Ruki Kawiti) had asked the Governor (Gore Brown) to have the Kawakawa area settled by Pākehā and a town established. The Governor replied that he was pleased that Māori had agreed to sell the land around Kawakawa but favoured Kerikeri as the site of a town in the Bay of Islands. However, this decision was changed when coal was discovered in Kawakawa in the early 1860’s.
The Hundertwasser Public Toilets were created in 1999 and they are in the centre of town on the North Island main arterial route, State Highway 1, through Kawakawa. The building is nationally and internationally significant. This is the only public building to a Hundertwasser design in New Zealand which the architect/artist had direct involvement with its creation.
Hundertwasser has an international reputation as an architect, and has buildings in Europe, North America, Japan, and New Zealand. The buildings share common architectural features with the use of what he called tree tenants, spontaneous vegetation, and uneven floors. His buildings testify to his commitment to diversity instead of monotony, for unregulated irregularities, for living in harmony with nature, for beauty and for joy.
The public toilets started as a utilitarian concrete block structure built in 1969. The Kawakawa business community approached Hundertwasser (known locally as Fredrick) to have a building designed by the artist which would have a positive economic and artistic impact upon the town. It would make Kawakawa a destination, rather than a thoroughfare to places further north. The transformation of the building into something of beauty and a designed building which was in harmony with nature personally appealed to him as well as contributing to the community in which he now lived.
Renovation of the building was partly a community effort. The head builder and contractor were Mike Brouwers with assistance from Richard Smart and Doug Shepherd with contributions by Peter Yeates and Mike Woodman. The local Bay of Islands College students prepared the ceramic tiles, the bricks were from a former Bank of New Zealand building, recycled bottles were used, and the construction was completed by community volunteers.
The building is covered with solid plaster that is flowing in its form, recycled glass bottles are used in the building to allow light but at the same time provide privacy. The effect of the exterior building is flowing, colourful and playful it is human-centric. The roof is a living roof which includes flax, native grasses and its tree tenants. There are light and ventilation ducts on the roof that are glass with large golden balls encasing the vents. The roof has in profile two gentle curves with the centre of the roof demarcating the male and female toilets.
The interior of the building is a riot of colour, undulating surfaces, and curves while still functioning as a public toilet. The floors are a mix of large and small coloured tiles which are irregular in size and the floor is not flat but undulating. The walls are also not perpendicular but tiled and curve in a slight sinuous curve. Light comes into the building through the coloured bottle glass windows.
Colourful columns extend a veranda over the public footpath at the front of the building. There is a cobbled walkway which enters the building made from recycled bricks. There are also artworks of engraved clay tablets which show the outlines of trees and leaves in the walkway.
The building has not changed in form since it was constructed and remains in its original state as imagined by the visionary artist/architect. The building is a manifestation of the philosophy that the building should be a peace accord with nature. This is articulated by using recycled materials and the use of a living roof. It also expresses the vision that harmony with beauty and harmony with nature makes us really feel good; it brings joy. It is a joyful building to be in and explore. It is unique in New Zealand as it is the only public building that Hundertwasser was directly involved with.
