Ribbon cutting for the official opening of the Hundertwasser Arts Centre to the public. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Ribbon cutting for the official opening of the Hundertwasser Arts Centre to the public. Photo / Michael Cunningham
After a nearly 30-year journey, Whangārei's Hundertwasser Art Centre is finally open to the public - and the verdict says the "vibrant and quirky" gallery is just what the town needed.
'A lot of people own parts of Hundertwasser', says Andrew Garratt, who has been a part of the project for a decade.
"I am more than pleased with it, and it has turned out to be much better than expected.
"I have been told that this building is one of the better Hundertwasser buildings in the world."
Garratt said Covid-19 had made it disappointing in a way, but it still felt very "surreal".
The occasion also marked the debut of the Wairau Māori Art Gallery - New Zealand's first public gallery dedicated to contemporary Māori art - that is housed within the centre.
Chief executive of Whangarei Art Museum and Hundertwasser Art Centre Kathleen Drumm said the team had ambitious plans to embrace the community in an official opening in the park, but both were delayed due to Covid-19.
"We have a group of determined people who have worked tirelessly for many years to bring this project to fulfilment.
Kathleen Drumm, Chief Executive of Whangārei Art Museum and Hundertwasser Art Centre, expects the gallery to turn into an international tourism attraction point. Photo / Michael Cunnigham
"We had to change our plan three times before today."
The gallery reached near capacity on day one and Drumm said they expected a steady stream of visitors coming in today .
"Because of Covid-19, we had to be careful with the number of people visiting the building."
Drumm was confident the gallery would become a new tourism asset to attract people from all over the world, once the borders reopened.
"The project has already employed more than 550 people in the last three years and has demonstrated it is an economic driver for the region."
Waipū couple Clare and Doug Scott were part of the first slot of visitors and said they were also present when the cupola was installed.
riends Zara Harris, 8, and Oceana Jones, 9, from Whangarei are some of the first members of the public to visit the Hundertwasser Art Centre. Photo / Michael Cunningham
"It's fun and exciting to see the quirky little things like the bird's nest, when you go up the stairs or a teapot in one of the pillars. It is so vibrant, colourful and quirky, right down to the toilets.
"We need something quirky in our life, and this is what the town also needed."
Whangārei resident Bill Boyle and his family were "excited" to finally be at the gallery, after watching its progress for many years.
"It is very interesting that the whole place was built amid controversy, and on the opening day we have another controversy (the anti-vax protest outside the gallery)."
