There's a crack in the dunny, but don't worry, you can keep using it and it won't collapse under you.
That's the engineer's view of the sinking and cracking world-famous Frederick Hundertwasser-designed public toilets at Kawakawa in the Bay of Islands.
There were fears the colourful and quirky toilets, which have been attracting tourists from far and wide since they were opened in 1999, were in danger of imminent collapse.
However, in a report released this week, engineers Haig Workman say that while the building is settling on its foundations and pulling away from buildings on either side, the cracks in beams and columns do not appear to herald a major structural failure.
They have recommended the council keep an eye on the toilets and try to stop water from getting under the building.
In the long term, they recommended that the Far North District Council could wait until the building stopped sinking and then inject pressure grouting under the floor, or the more expensive option of placing new mini-piles underneath.
A council spokesman said they would start trying to stop more water getting under the building, but the council would have to decide which of the long-term options was best.
The toilets were designed by Austrian artist Hundertwasser, who came out to New Zealand in the 1970s.
Engineering reports between 2006 and 2010 said the slumping may have been caused by silt sub-soils, poorly compacted fill at one end and the sheer physical weight of the building.
NZN
