Visiting the Hundertwasser Art Centre has been on our wish list for sometime. The completed art centre opened fully on 20 Feb 2022 with the installation of the gold dome. The site was chosen by the Austrian born NZ artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser in 1993 after being invited by the Mayor of Whangārei to design an art centre for the city.
Location: Hundertwasser Art Centre
81 Dent Street
Whangārei 0110
New Zealand / Aotearoa.
The art centre is reported by Stuff to be one of the most technically complex in New Zealand and features include:
- rooftop garden with over 200 plants including many trees unique to Northland, plus the rarest tree in the world, Pennantia baylisiana.
- eight-metre-high gold cupola on the roof.
- the irregular and uneven design as preferred by Hundertwasser is reflected in the architecture both externally and internally.
- permanent display of 80 of the artist’s original works.
Bookings
Be sure to plan your visit and make your bookings well in advance.
Book entry tickets here.
Book a table at the Aqua Restaurant & Bar at the Hundertwasser Art Centre here.
For us, it’s not just the building, it’s transforming people’s lives through art and nature
Hundertwasser Art Centre chief executive Kathleen Drumm
Hundertwasser’s art work is widely known for strong and contrasting colours, organic forms, depiction of how we interact with nature and this belief in nature leads him to reject straight lines.
You know I love colours… presets and filters are not for me, and when I discovered the work of Friedensreich Hundertwasser in the late 1970s I was smitten. Here is an artist with a magic talent for colours and a beautiful feeling for irregular shapes often repeating and always enveloping. I find his paintings exciting and comforting at the same time.
Does he also speak to you? Do you admire his architecture? I would love to hear your comments below.
Our Visit
We decided to make a weekend of it and we stayed with my cousin, Annette and partner John. We explored the art centre together, dined at the inhouse Aqua Restaurant, walked around the Basin and went to the top of Mount Parihaka for a fantastic view back over the city and Town Basin. This was an unforgettable and inspiring experience and I believe this centre will be a world renown destination for both overseas tourists and NZ visitors.
Art Works
Ngā mihi nui, Janet
Life With Janet 