A public toilet in Waiouru has been recognised as the best of its kind in the country.
The Waiouru toilet facility won its category in the 2016 Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards. Photo: Supplied
Named in the Keep New Zealand Beautiful Awards, the toilet facility, opened last year, was designed to mirror the National Army Museum across the road.
Ruapehu District Council spokesperson Margaret Hawthorne said the new loo had been popular and there were plans to install door counters to monitor usage.
It was attracting travellers to stop rather than just driving through, Mrs Hawthorne said.
"It's a very very busy site and we believe that the numbers have increased. They may increase exponentially now that we've won the best loo in New Zealand of course because some people may not even realise there is a nice toilet there. It will be interesting."
The toilet project formed part of the council's larger economic development strategy for Ruapehu, she said.
"For Waiouru, the development of the public toilets and surrounding amenity area, along with street landscaping along SH1, are the first part of a vision for Waiouru as being a gateway to the volcanic plateau and the Ruapehu District."