‘Loo with a view’ from old lighthouse

A block of toilets proposed for Baring Head could soon have the best view of any bog in Wellington.

The new block of dunnies is one of seven projects proposed by the Friends of Baring Head Trust and Greater Wellington Regional Council as part of the wider redevelopment of the Baring Head lighthouse complex.

The toilets would be behind the generator house, which used to power the lighthouse, and surrounding buildings, and would look over the Wainuiomata coast towards Turakirae Head.

Council East Harbour Regional Park ranger Mark McAlpine said the toilets would be built to match the two 1930s weatherboard lighthouse keeper’s houses on the site.

The loos are being targeted as one of the first projects for completion to provide salvation for day walkers who have been caught short and for the workers who will restore the complex in the future.

McAlpine said the toilets would offer clear views out over Cook Strait on fine days and dramatic waves breaking over the beach on less-than-fine days.

The redevelopment at Baring Head aims to restore the complex to the state it was in when it was manned. The opened in 1935.

The two houses formerly used by keepers would be turned into ‘‘BookaBach’’ style accommodation to allow people to explore the area overnight.

One of the houses will be brought back to how it was in the late 1960s, the decade it was last refurbished.

‘‘It will look original, right down to the toaster and cutlery,’’ McAlpine said.

The old generator house would be turned into a visitor centre to tell the history of the lighthouse and surrounding area.

Other projects included the restoration lighthouse was of the driveway replanting a shelter belt shielded the site from wind.

The complex was historically significant because it is one of the last fully intact lighthouse complexes left in New Zealand.

While some funding had been secured, the trust and the council were working on gathering financial backers and volunteers to get the project started. The estimated cost of the toilet block alone was $120,000.

McAlpine said the complex was in desperate need of refurbishment, with no money having been spent on the buildings since the lighthouse was automated in 1989. and that