Lobster Loos

Situated on the Queen’s Wharf on Wellington Harbor, stands two peculiar concrete and steel buildings that disguise unisex public toilets. Nicknamed the “Lobster Loos,” the Public Toilets Kumutoto befuddle many passersby. Tourists and locals have guessed that the Lobster Loos were entrances to an underground subway or simply dismissed as ornamental sculptures.

Voted in 2014 as the third-best toilet in the world by the website Design Curial, the toilets frequently appear on lists of innovative public washrooms. Its appearance has been compared to an insect, a crayfish tail, an aardvark, and an anteater. The Lobster Loos were designed by architect Bret Thurston, who won a design contest sponsored by the Wellington City Council.

These abstract concrete crustaceans are just a few of the design-forward public toilets in New Zealand. Others include the Hundertwasser Toilets in Kawakawa and the Matakana Toilets in Matakana.