Fountain sparks Hamilton vs. Wellington row

Hamilton's new fountain (left) and Wellington's iconic bucket fountain. Photos / Reddit, Absolutely Wellington

It may remind you of an old TV test pattern, a Rubik's cube, or a chunk of Tetris bricks. But for at least one Hamiltonian, it's nothing short of "majestic". And "superior". To what, you might ask?

Wellington's bucket fountain.

Posted to Reddit, an image of a new edition to Hamilton's collection of water features has sparked a row between the capital's bucket fans and Waikato locals enamoured by their dripping Teletext tower.

The image, submitted by bitcoin_noob, was captioned: "Glorious city of Hamilton unveils Majestic, Superior Fountain."

Reddit user -chocko- was quick to respond: "Superior? Superior? You better f**king not be implying what I think you are implying."

To which bitcoin_noob answered: "Buckets are so... old fashioned."

A further 154 comments have been made by Reddit users weighing in on the debate, some hailing the bucket, others siding with a user who tells bucket fans to "buck off".

"Sorry mate. That ol' bucket fountain is passé," wrote user madmarcel of the iconic kinetic sculpture erected in Wellinton's Cuba St in 1969.

"Soon you'll all be undertaking the pilgrimage to the mighty Hamilton fountain and have a pie and a beer after", madmarcel continues.

Wellington's bucket fountain. Photo / Absolutely Wellington

According to TheRealBallchynz, the Hamilton water feature was "conceived by Michael Parekowhai after he came across a little known Maori legend in the Waikato Museum which tells the creation legend of the Waikato River."

Hamilton's new fountain. Photo / Reddit

Unveiled on Tuesday, the $700, 000, three-storey sculpture was gifted to the city of Hamilton by philanthropic arts group Mesh Sculpture Hamilton.

Called "Tongue of the Dog", with a "tongue" of water flowing from a height of 4.5 metres, it is expected to draw crowds outside its home in front of Hamilton museum.

- nzherald.co.nz