Plea to give loos touch of flair

Max Lewis of Tauranga's Elders Forum wants the city's prime public toilets given a big facelift. Photo/George Novak

Tauranga has been urged to transform its grotty public toilets into an eye-catching experience for visitors to the city's most popular scenic spots.

The idea has been floated by Mount resident Max Lewis who was disappointed at the image projected by bland public conveniences in areas such as Pilot Bay, The Strand and Mount Main Beach.

He told councillors yesterday the toilets needed to be lifted to match their locations by tapping into the creative energy of local artists.

Mr Lewis, chairman of the city's Elders Forum, wants the council to be inspired by what artist Frederick Hundertwasser did to the 40-year-old public toilets in the Bay of Island's town of Kawakawa.

"To Hundertwasser a toilet is very special because you meditate in a toilet, like a church."

Kawakawa's world famous Hundertwasser toilets. PHOTO/JOHN STONE

He said Hundertwasser could never have dreamed of the impact he was going to have on the small rural community. "From a sleepy hollow just off the tourist track, the Kawakawa township has burgeoned into a must-see mecca for Hundertwasser devotees worldwide."

With Hairy Maclary statues soon to be installed on Tauranga's downtown waterfront he saw potential for the old Herries Park public toilets on The Strand to be transformed by an artist into a theme that reflected Dame Lynley Dodd's storybook characters.

Mr Lewis said many of the toilets in these prime spots needed to be upgraded anyway, so why not inject a bit of imagination, he told the Bay of Plenty Times after he had delivered his submission to the council's 2014-15 Annual Plan. "There is not a lot of money involved but we have brilliant artists. We need some innovation in this place."

Kawakawa's world famous Hundertwasser toilets

He asked the council to compare its clean but dated public toilets with the facilities in shopping malls or aboard cruise ships. "The issue is about visitor perception. Tauranga City Council toilets convey the impression that we don't care much about visitors to our city."

Mr Lewis complained the CBD and Mount public toilets were the minimum specifications to comply with public standards.

The Elders Forum has asked the council to upgrade its toilets at the Mount and CBD with modern porcelain fixtures and to decorate the buildings with murals depicting the areas they occupy.

The council will make its decision next month.