New Zealand's Quirkiest Landmarks and Attractions

Expatriate Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser fell in love with the North Island town of Kawakawa in the 1970s. An ornate toilet block, made out of community-donated, recycled materials, was his only artistic project in the Southern Hemisphere — and the last one completed in his lifetime. The Hundertwasser Public Toilets were opened in 1999, and quickly became Kawakawa’s primary tourist attraction. In fact, you’d be hard done to find any other toilet block that has been photographed as frequently as this one.

Hundertwasser Public Toilets, Gillies St, Kawakawa 0210, New Zealand

Inside the Hundertwasser Toilets | © Tratinchitza/Flickr

What’s a New Zealand quirky guide without some sheep? While the ovine stereotypes are nearing their expiration date, Sheep World continues to carry out its rural endeavours. Visitors flock to the farm to see its live shearing and rounding-up demonstrations, and to get some insight into how fleece is used and produced. If you’ve never seen a pink sheep before, head on over — there are plenty of those dotted around this unique piece of farmland.

Sheep World, 324 SH 1 (4km north of Warkworth), Warkworth, Dome Valley 0981, New Zealand, +64 9-425 7444

Pink Sheep at Sheep World, Warkworth, New Zealand | © Sids1/Flickr

Lemon and Paeroa (aka L&P) is a soft drink iconic to New Zealand. It holds such a special place on local notions of Kiwiana (which, for those unfamiliar with the term, are the things that make up Kiwi identity) that the drink’s hometown created a giant statue in its honour. This eight-metre (26.24-foot) sculpture was originally a rocket ship, built as part of a Christmas campaign in 1967. The town decided that, while they liked have a landmark of its size, they wanted something more locally defined – and thus, the ‘world famous in New Zealand’ L&P bottle came into existence.

Giant Lemon & Paeroa Bottle, Paeroa, Paeroa 3600, New Zealand

Lemon and Paeroa Bottle | © russellstreet/Flickr

New Zealand has quite the penchant for eccentric statues. Ohakune’s 7.5-metre (24.61-foot) carrot was erected in 1984, after being selected to represent the small North Island town’s Growers Association. Locals were initially not too keen on its design – some people deemed it as too phallic. Still, the Ohakune Carrot prevailed and is now a national celebrity in its own right.

Geraldine is a town in the Canterbury region just a couple of hours’ south from Christchurch. The local knitwear shop was home to the world’s largest jersey – officially recognised as such by the Guinness Book of Records. While the Giant Jersey shop has recently ceased operations, its iconic record-breaker has found a new home at the Kiwi Country Geraldine Visitor Complex. The enormous knitted garment stretches nearly five metres (16.41 feet) from wrist to wrist, reaching two metres (6.56 feet) in height and weighing a respectable 5.5 kilograms (12.13 pounds).

Kiwi Country Geraldine,38 Waihi Terrace, Geraldine 8751, New Zealand, +64 3-693 1101

Geraldine’s Giant Jersey | © Gwydion M. Williams/Flickr

The Bra Fence in Cardrona Valley is a bit of a mystery. No one knows exactly where it came from, but legend has it that a group of partying ladies were behind the first bra installation on New Years’ Eve in 1998. The women were supposedly staying at the Cardrona Hotel, and placed their bras on the fence for safekeeping. Eventually, more bras started appearing on the same location, with numerous attempts to take them down failing miserably. The fence has since been shifted and was rebranded as ‘Bradrona’ to raise money for New Zealand’s Breast Cancer Foundation.

Cardrona Bra Fence, 2125 Cardrona Valley Rd, Cardrona 9381, New Zealand

Cardrona Bra Fence, New Zealand | © Daniel Fernandes de Oliveira/Flickr