New $193k toilet block for Taipa

Construction of Taipa's prefabricated toilet unit nears completion.

Taipa is set to get a flash new $193,000 flusher as visitor numbers soar in the Doubtless Bay settlement.

Brand new public toilets and showers will be installed this month at Taipa, and will no doubt be welcomed by visitors to one of the most popular destinations in Doubtless Bay.

Taipa Bay is classified as a major tourist attraction by Far North District Council, but its twin-toilet concrete facility on Foreshore Rd cannot cope with the number of visitors flocking to the beach over summer, nor does it accommodate disabled users.

The new $193,000 facility, which has been prefabricated by an Auckland company, has four unisex toilets with a stall for disabled users. It also provides freshwater showers on the outside of the building.

The council said the toilet design was selected with input from the Taipa community and would feature durable tiled stalls, stainless steel fittings and a timber baton exterior.

The facility will be transported to Taipa in coming days and should be ready for use once services are connected this week. The old toilet block will then be demolished.

FNDC general manager - infrastructure and asset management, Jacqui Robson, said Taipa residents and businesses had wanted the public toilets to be upgraded for some time.

"By working together on a design, I think we've selected a facility that will be fit-for-purpose for years to come," Ms Robson said.

An added bonus, she said, was that the $193,000 price tag was $17,000 less than the original $210,000 budgeted for the facility.

Taipa isn't the only popular Far North tourist destination getting new amenities. A $74,000 toilet is due for completion in Rawene in April. This facility will have two combined unisex and disabled stalls and will replace the existing toilet on Russell Esplanade.

The two new toilet projects follow announcement in November of a public toilet for Broadwood made possible by a $120,000 grant from the new Regional Mid-sized Tourism Facilities Grant Fund.