Colourful box seats for city centre

New colourful seats in the Rotorua CBD can also be changed into stage space.

A collection of different sized wooden boxes, installed today on two adjacent Rotorua inner city corners, has been designed with several purposes in mind.

The colourful interlocked boxes offer more outdoor public seating at the intersection of Tutanekai and Haupapa streets - outside the Lucky Lottery Shop and across the road in front of Pollards menswear store.

Additionally, being located where the Rotorua Night Market operates every Thursday evening, they can also be reconfigured to provide a platform or stage for public entertainment purposes.

Rotorua Lakes Council Inner City Revitalisation lead advisor, Portia McKenzie, said the two new sets of seating bring more colour and vibrancy to the inner city.

"But they also have very practical uses," she said.

"In part they're a response to requests for more places where people can sit and relax to enjoy food they've purchased from the Night Market, or for just enjoying lunch or a coffee outdoors in the inner city.

"They're also in part a response to requests our Creative Communities Portfolio team has fielded from people seeking more public spaces in the inner city where locals can perform.

"So we expect the boxes will be used from time-to-time as a stage, such as when there's live entertainment at the Night Market.

"Some of the boxes have creative shapes cut into the wood and, when colourful amenity lighting is installed inside them, there will be some interesting illuminated patterns to be seen at night."

Ms McKenzie said the boxes, like the recently installed contemporary sculpture across the road, have been constructed from wooden material to support the city's Wood First policy.