Loos with local view pep up gas station pitstops

BE TRANSPORTED: Gull Service Station on Lake Road, owned by Peter Rigby now offers a unique bathroom experience. PHOTO/BEN FRASER

Service station toilets are probably the last place you'd expect to enjoy eye-catching art.

But the bathrooms of two Gull service stations in Rotorua have been given uniquely Rotorua facelifts.

Gull has refurbished its bathrooms across 14 national locations, with individual designs inspired by the local settings and communities.

Gull Lake Rd owner Peter Rigby said its new bathroom, designed by Auckland company Amplifier, had received a lot of attention from customers.

"The new bathrooms have received a lot of positive feedback. People are excited to see a lot of local images.

"Proprietors of other Gull service stations have indicated some jealousy, they would also like to have their bathrooms redesigned."

The Lake Rd design represents the city's historical legacy, Maori culture and people and its natural beauty.

The Gull station on Te Ngae Rd also had its bathroom redesigned, with the theme Lake House.

It features a log cabin, fishing gear and mementos of some great catches.

The commercial manager of Gull New Zealand, Ulrik Olsen, said the initiative was inspired by a desire to change the way people perceived service station rest rooms.

"We wanted to delight our customers when they walked into our rest rooms and challenge Kiwis' perceptions of service station bathrooms.

"A regular pitstop on every journey, with locally inspired designs, is a great way to give travellers an insight into the local community."

The renovations began in October last year and will be completed early next year, with another eight sites in line for renovation and further sites to be confirmed.