Public toilets at Mokau
Beach users on the Mōkau spit are not being provided access to portable toilets there because of the sacred status of the Te Naunau Sandspit as an urupā.
Waitomo District Council arranged for portaloos at the sandspit for three weeks over the height of the holiday season, but none were provided in the 2023-2024 holiday due to cultural concerns.
“Council had previously obtained funding from the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment’s Tourism Infrastructure Fund for portaloos on Tokopapa Street, Mōkau, during the summer period,” Waitomo District Council general manager Alex Bell said.
“Whare Mokau Ki Runga did oppose toilets on Tokopapa St, given the cultural significance of the area.”
Bell said the council did not make an application to locate toilets on the sandspit over the most recent holiday period.
“It was considered that given there are three sets of public toilets in Mōkau, there was not a need for additional toilet facilities.”
But it appears not all beach users see it that way. Property owners Peter Cowley and Rachel Tapuikore, say some now defecate on the track leading to the beach access.
“This is Mōkau village’s main beach access, so a lot of people come here. You could argue that there are public toilets in the main street but people coming up from the beach can’t seem to hold on long enough to use them,” Cowley said.
