Loo with a view
Date: 22 August 2008
Visitors to Cathedral Cove now have somewhere to 'go' when they get to the bottom of the walk.
The view from the loo
Department of Conservation (DOC) is constructing an eco-friendly toilet on the beach at Cathedral Cove.
The architecturally designed building snuggled in behind a pohutukawa tree is non-obtrusive. The one way windows give users a spectacular view of nature while they take care of nature.
"Over 100,000 people a year are drawn to Te Whanganui-A-Hei Marine Reserve and Cathedral Cove, the beach facility needed upgrading and the only other facility has been at the car park," says John Gaukrodger, Hauraki Area Manager.
Catherdral Cove loo under construction
"The new toilet block means people don't have a 45 minute walk back up to the top."
There will be three new toilets; they are all sealed vault tanks. There will be regular service flights by helicopter that will remove the full tanks and replace them with empty ones. The toilet block construction is expected to be completed and functioning early in the summer season.