A new toilet block just off of Karangahape Road is causing a stink with some residents, who say its location has attracted anti-social behaviour leaving them feeling unsafe. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
A new toilet block just off of Karangahape road is causing a stink with some residents, who say its location has attracted anti-social behaviour leaving them feeling unsafe.
The lack of public toilets on the iconic street had been a problem since the previous block was removed in 2020, and some shop owners said they regularly had to clean up human waste in the mornings.
Then in December last year, Auckland Council opened a new block opened on Mercury Lane, a side street just off K-road.
George Court property manager Mike Bennett said the toilet block was mostly out of view of the main street, making it a target for anti-social behaviour.
"Now people are getting focused into this area... the other morning I was taking photos and a guy came out. He goes - I won't say what he said to me: 'Expletive expletive what are you looking at?' There was a girl in there, they'd obviously been either cleaning or doing drugs."
George Court resident Rochelle Tietze said that left many of the residents feeling unsafe.
"We've had a lot of problems with people coming into the building because people are lingering around that area. We've had issues where families have not wanted to walk past the toilets because of drug dealing and noises coming from the toilets."
Graffiti inside the new toilet block. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
There was also ongoing construction on Mercury Lane as part of the City Rail Link, which further blocked the line of sight to the toilets.
There were far better possible locations for the toilet block which would not have brought these problems, Tietze said.
"They were more open and out there for the public. There was more light and there was more going on."
She would like the toilets removed, and put somewhere else on the street, like the other end next to the rainbow bridge.
However Auckland Council Director Community, Rachel Kelleher, said it had investigated a number of possible locations for the toilets in the area and nowhere else was suitable due to underground services, site constraints and safety.
Allison Rothville owns Vixen Vintage on K road, and has been calling for public toilets on the street since the previous ones were removed in 2020.
Allison Rothville. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
In the past, she had to regularly clean up human waste from the the front of her storefront.
She said since the new toilets went in that had been less common.
"It's better than the situation we've had. I think we're going to have to definitely to make it more visible. It's a good option, it's not too bad but you just kind of have to know where it is, because they've got it hidden."
But Rothville said it was not good enough that the council and Auckland transport had taken so long to come up with a solution three years after the previous toilets were removed in 2020.
"This is a world-class tourist destination, and it's been embarrassing and it's been a huge problem for our customers. How do you expect to attract people to the street and have a great experience if there's something missing that's so basic as a public toilet."
George court property manager Mike Bennett was well aware of K road's rowdy and risqué reputation, but said the residents who lived there deserved to feel safe.
Human waste smeared inside the toilet block. Photo: RNZ / Luka Forman
"I've been coming to K road for 44 years since I was a teenager. It's changed - but if you want people to invest buy homes apartments and live in this area, there's certain changes that need to be done."
Auckland Council Director Community, Rachel Kelleher, said the site on Mercury Lane was chosen strategically to benefit from passive surveillance and the toilet was well lit at night to deter unsafe and anti-social behaviour.
Council contractors regularly cleaned and serviced the toilets, Kelleher said, and they had not reported any issues other than some minor graffiti.
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