It was time to take a road trip north to pick up our sails which we’d left with Willis Sails in Kerikeri for servicing/repair.  With a break in the weather we set off in sunny weather and were looking forward to seeing friends Brent and Ana (sv Impi), anchored off Russell in the Bay of Islands who’d invited us to stay with them.  We cruised with them way back in Cuba and Jamaica, so had much catching up to do; it was wonderful to see them again after all this time.

Back aboard Impi with Brent and Ana:

Our drive over to Kerikeri  took us through the town of Kawakawa, home to the most amazing and funky public toilets designed by Friendensreich Hundertwasser, the Austrian artist and eco-architect who lived near the town in an isolated house without electricity from 1973 until his death in 2000.  Badged as the most photographed (should that be only photographed?) toilets in NZ, they are typical of Hundertwasser’s work – wavy lines decorated with brightly coloured bottles and ceramic mosaics.

Kawakawa’s Funky Public Loos:

And a nearby mural: