Public toilets opened on Whangarei's Mt Parihaka

A popular Whangarei tourist attraction now has a public toilet block.

Visitors to the Mount Parihaka lookout and memorial will now find a toilet block in the lower carpark.

It is the first of two being built with the help of government funding.

Whangarei District Council received $160,000 from the Regional mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund for new toilets at tourist hotspots Parihaka and Abbey Caves.

Whangarei District Council waste and drainage field officer Grant Alsop said the total cost of the Parihaka toilet block is expected to be about $200,000.

He said because there was no water or sewer network at the location, the council had to install a secondary sewer system and a 25 litre water tank.

The building has been tied into the surrounding environment using bark, brushwood and a graphic across the front of the building.

"It's [the graphic] what you see when you go up and stand on Parihaka, the view of the city."

Mr Alsop said previously the council had received complaints about toilet paper in the bush from freedom campers.

"It's going to be such a bonus for that area."

The block contains two toilet cubicles which are disability friendly. There is also a baby changing table.

Mr Alsop said he anticipated the government funding would be split evenly between the two sites.

He said a work programme is being put together for the second site at Abbey Caves.

Mr Alsop said the council is looking at locating it close to the area where visitors park, and potentially creating some new parking spaces at the same time.