Hundertwasser Art Centre
Hundertwasser Art Centre with Wairau Māori Art Gallery
A colourful onion-domed building based on Hundertwasser's posthumous designs, housing an exhibition of his works and the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, opened in 2022.
The Hundertwasser Art Centre is a building designed by Austrian artist Friedensreich Hundertwasser for Whangārei in his later years and completed after his death. It opened in 2022 in the Town Basin harbourside area. The building carries his trademark irregular coloured columns, golden onion domes, wavy floors and grassy rooftops with trees. Its interior displays original Hundertwasser works, and it houses the Wairau Māori Art Gallery, the world's first gallery dedicated to contemporary Māori art. A visit takes about 1.5 to 2 hours. Adult admission for international visitors is around NZ$40, while the rooftop garden and exterior can be photographed for free. Visitors heading north to the Bay of Islands often stop here, and it can be combined with a walk around the riverside Town Basin.
Opening hours
10:00–16:00 (extended in summer; check official website)
Nearby sights
- Town Basin
- Mount Parihaka
- Whangārei Quarry Gardens
- A.H. Reed Memorial Kauri Park
- Abbey Caves
- Whangārei Falls
- Kiwi North
- Waipū Caves