'I was retching - I could see bare behinds': Toilets for Mt Eden after men seen defecating

Portaloos will be reinstated on the summit of Auckland's Mt Eden after two men were caught defecating in the bush within metres of the footpath.

Mt Eden resident Deborah van Praagh was walking up the summit with a friend last Sunday when they spotted the men.

"It was certainly a shock," she said. "They were very close to the footpath. We could see their bare behinds. My friend and I were retching. The stench was so bad."

The men had been on a tour bus which was parked nearby.

Mrs van Praagh, who has lived in Mt Eden for 36 years, believed a permanent toilet block should be put on the summit as people often got "caught short".

"Hundreds of people go up there every week.

"If you come on a bus straight from the airport and go straight up, you're going to want to go to the toilet."

The Tupuna Maunga Authority, which governs the volcano, placed portaloos on the summit in summer to cater for high visitor numbers. They were removed last month.

But after the incident, Tupuna Maunga operations manager Scott De Silva said the portaloos would be back by the end of the week.

They would remain until the Tea Kiosk building, which has toilets, was reopened.

"The Tupuna Maunga Authority is aware of the recent incident and we will be contacting tour operators to remind them where the permanent toilets are located," Mr De Silva said.

Albert-Eden Local Board chairman Peter Haynes believed a permanent toilet block would be too costly.

"A permanent double toilet block would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. Never mind the cost of maintenance and cleaning.

"This is the first time the problem has been raised with me in five-and-a-half years. There would need to be more evidence of the issue."