The opening of the Hundertwasser Art Centre's "seed" building on Friday will be "a taste of things to come", say the project's backers.
The koru-shaped structure, Te Kakano, at the Town Basin will be completed and unveiled this week, giving locals an experience of all the elements of Hundertwasser's design aesthetic.
The official opening on Friday will begin with a Maori blessing at dawn and a ribbon cutting ceremony at 3.30pm. All are welcome to both events.
Fundraising for the Hundertwasser Art Centre now sits at about $13 million or about 80 per cent of the $16.25 million required for the build to proceed in June next year. Te Kakano had cost $300,000 and was an artwork in its own right.
HAC operations team lead Pam Tothill said she hoped Te Kakano would spur more people to donate to the "main event".