News | 18 December 2020
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Friday Five: Fun facts about the Bucket Fountain

It’s one of the most famous landmarks in Wellington, a place to take a selfie or meet friends. But did you know these random facts about it?

A shot of Wellington's iconic bucket fountain, on Cuba St, on a sunny day.

1. It’s purposely designed to splash

Yes that’s right, the original set up of the buckets was updated by Wellington City Council in 2003 and they changed some of the buckets to make the fountain even splashier! Find out more about the upgrade here.

 

2. The buckets were originally all yellow 

During the renovation the Council also decided to give the buckets a ‘splash’ more of colour.

 

3. The fountain was originally called the ‘Water Mobile’

This playful kinetic sculpture was designed by architects and town planning consultants Burren and Keen, and Graham Allardice. Check out this neat picture of it in 1971.

 

4. It was built in 1969

Following the phasing out of trams and removal of tracks in 1967, Cuba Street became temporarily pedestrianised. This proved to be a revenue winner for local businesses, who went on to petition Council for the layout to become a permanent fixture. Cuba Mall was launched in 1969, based on similar malls around the world, which were designed to encourage shopping as a pleasurable experience, rather than a chore.

5. And, it was peed in by a star...

Elijah Wood infamously relieved himself in the Bucket Fountain while in New Zealand filming Lord of the Rings. He admits to the crime while chatting to Jay Leno in this video.

 

Watch out each Friday for a fun list of five great activities to do, places to explore, or things to discover in our great city.