Wellington spent NZ$375,000 on these 'lobster loos'. Photo / Supplied
Wellington spent NZ$375,000 on these 'lobster loos'. Photo / Supplied
It may be our majestic mountains and pristine lakes that tourists come for, but apparently the loos are worth a gander as well.
At least that's according to Lonely Planet's new look at the world of toilets.
Kawakawa's endearingly idiosyncratic toilet block designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Photo / Supplied
The travel guide company has listed eight New Zealand dunnies in Toilets: ASpotters Guide, a compendium of some of the globe's most interesting lavatories.
Golden Bay's penguin themed toilets. Photo / Supplied
Among the New Zealand entrants are Kawakawa's iconic Hundertwasser toilets, Wellington's lobster loo's and Golden Bay's penguin privy, along with entrants from Mt Cook, the Redwoods and two from the Milford Track.
The toilet on top of the MacKinnon Pass on the Milford Track has a great view. Photo / Supplied
Matakana's contentious, $400,000 public facilities, with their face-to-face design, particularly impressed the guide's authors, who called the site a highly symbolic nod to the local boat-building industry.
"Toilets so often transcend their primary function of being a convenience to become a work of art in their own right, or to make a cultural statement about the priorities, traditions and values of the venues, locations and communities they serve," the guide's authors says.
Matakana's ship-shaped cubicles are a nod to the local boat-building industry. Photo / Supplied
But despite their popularity with tourists, Hastings' Clifton Road Reserve toilets - voted the country's best last year - don't seem to have been given a place in the guide, which includes rest stops from across Asia, Europe, the Americans and Oceania.
