Country’s best loo causes a stink
The country’s best public loo was forced to shut down after almost overflowing due to bursting beachgoers.
The beachfront toilet block at Hot Water Beach won its title in the 2018 Keep New Zealand Beautiful awards.
But the waste from hordes of beachgoers left no room in the tank on New Year’s Day, forcing a shutdown while it was pumped out.
That lasted about two hours, a ThamesCoromandel District Council statement said, and portaloos were brought in.
‘‘We have had no issues with the toilets before,’’ a spokeswoman said, ‘‘and it was a case of pumping out the tanks due to heavy use.’’
The council said there were no health and safety issues or public concerns but nearby Moko Artspace owner Simon Buchanan said there was sewage escaping the system.
A stream of people came in, asking to use his toilets.
That kind of thing had been a far more regular occurrence with the old toilets and the new one was generally better.
However, the hand driers had rusted or burned out – something Buchanan thought was partly due to freedom campers using them as clothes driers.
On Wednesday, cars filled the streets and berms around the beach, and the award-winning toilet block was still in hot demand.
Auckland’s Arland Salcedo was visiting Hot Water Beach for the first time.
The toilets were up to standard, he said, with toilet paper, a working flush, and rubbish bins.
His only critique was the open outdoor showers: the pressure was low, you couldn’t use soap or shampoo to get the salt water off, and some of the girls he was with felt shy about using them.
The cleanliness impressed Eun Lee, also visiting from Auckland.
‘‘It wasn’t filthy like how other public toilets are, like water on the floor and ... no paper rolls.’’
The loo block was the first Kiwi public toilet experience for Fernando Rodriguez and family, visiting from Argentina.
They had nothing to compare it with, he said, but they used it and it was OK. Before the new toilet block, back in 2014, local business owners said parking meters had led to people defecating in the bushes at a free car park.
The council had introduced parking meters to pay for a toilet block, so people were instead parking free of charge at the Bull Paddock.
At the time there was no toilet there, and people who didn’t know where the nearest one was were doing what they had to do when nature called.
The new beachfront toilet block won the 2018 Plumbing World Best Loo category in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful awards.
Judging considered factors such as location, cleanliness, and the interior and exterior of the loo. The Hot Water Beach toilets were described as an iconic facility ‘‘visually blending in beautifully with the surrounding coastal environment’’.
The toilets were on the forefront of a world-famous beach, and were built to cater for lots of tourists, sand and ‘‘a harsh beachside environment’’, the citation said.
‘‘Low maintenance and easy to clean, this facility ensures an exceptional visitor experience for overseas visitors and locals alike.’’
There are two other public toilets available at Hot Water Beach: at the surf beach and at the Bull Paddock, opposite the campground entrance.