The husband of the British High Commissioner to New Zealand has announced that he hates the Wellington Bucket Fountain, a well-known and polarizing water feature that adorns the center of the country’s capital.
Toby Fisher, husband of British Commissioner Laura Clarke, tweeted: “After 4 years in Wellington, it’s time to be honest with all of you, this is the craziest source ever.”
Fisher’s joking statement is just the latest in a long history of controversy surrounding the Wellington Bucket Fountain. Actor Elijah Wood urinated at the fountain while filming The Lord of the Rings in New Zealand. The structure’s primary colored cubes are often stolen as souvenirs and must be rebuilt at a cost of about $ 2,000 per octopus.
Installed in October 1969, the fountain pours an erratic stream of water through its buckets, pouring a large part on the surrounding pavement as it descends.
Dominion Post reported less impressed letters to the publisher from the time of its installation: “I think it’s the sheer ugliness of the thing that fascinates,” one letter writer wrote. “The fact that it doesn’t work efficiently only increases the viewer’s disbelief.”
Clarke jokingly denounced her statements: “As a British High Commissioner to NZ, I would like to be clear that my husband’s views … in no way represent my views or the position of the British government.”
As a British High Commissioner to NZ, I would like to make it clear that the views of my husband @tobyfisherlaw do not in any way represent my views or the position of the British government.
(Notes. Review notes…)
The bucket fountain is a much-loved part of Wellington’s heritage. https://t.co/pXL96CX7UV
– Laura Clarke (@LauraClarkeUK) May 28, 2022
Fisher’s comments have been received mainly with kind blows, including several members of parliament.
“Fight me,” said Climate Change Minister James Shaw.
“Now you’re cute, Toby!” said National Deputy and former opposition leader Judith Collins.
“More evidence Au / NZ must cut all ties with the Crown and become a republic,” one tweeter replied.
Other Wellingtonians said Fisher had failed to capture the subtle charms of the fountain. “There’s a fine line between iconic and shit,” one commenter explained.
“I love it because it’s so dirty and ugly and when the water finally comes out it’s disappointing and has a place of pride in the city,” said another. “It’s terrible, that’s why he rules so hard.”