A peak inside the ladies' room at Hundertwasser's Kawakawa Toilets
Pictures of toilets, you said you wanted. Well, here you go. 
On our way from Whangarei to Paihia last Wednesday, we made a pit stop at the Kawakawa public toilets. As our Stray driver, Dave, shared with us, respected Austrian painter and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser was commissioned to design the public facilities by the town. They were his final work.
While Dave was sharing the history with us, the name Hundertwasser sounded familiar to me and, as soon as I saw the building, I knew why: Many years ago, I saw his Hundertwasserhaus in Vienna, Austria, an apartment block he designed “to prevent something ugly from going up in its place.” A lifelong ecologist, Hundertwasser is known for a bold style that incorporates irregular forms and natural features. The Kawakawa Toilets, for example, have a living roof.
I generally prefer elegance and simplicity in design, and I recall disliking Hundertwasserhaus when I first saw it. Hundertwasser’s Toilets, on the other hand, were a refreshing break from the pastoral beauty and simplicity of New Zealand for me. I think they’re quite attractive, actually.
What do you think? Have you ever seen Hundertwasser’s work before?
