A British envoy’s husband in New Zealand has prompted a diplomatic incident after he mocked the country’s beloved Wellington bucket fountain.
Toby Fisher, the husband of British high commissioner to New Zealand Laura Clarke, dubbed the installation the “crappiest fountain ever” in a tweet, and his wife had to jokingly distance herself from his comments.
“After 4 years in Wellington, it’s time to be straight with you all, this is the crappiest fountain ever,” the tweet that annoyed many said.
Ms Clarke quickly joined in to say: “As British high commissioner to NZ I’d like to be clear that the opinions of my husband… in no way represent my views, or the position of the British Government.”
The fountain, which was built in October 1969 on Cuba Street, was originally called a “water mobile”. The kinetic installation has several buckets that fill with water until they tip, spiling and splashing a large portion of water outside the fountain and onto pedestrians and onlookers on windy days in Wellington, which are not unusual.
Over time, the installation has become a favourite spot for tourists as well as locals for both its absurdity and because it is reminiscent of simpler days.
Mr Fisher is not the first person to make a comment against the infamous fountain as it has historically divided opinions.
Actor Elijah Wood urinated in the fountain’s buckets while drunk during the filming of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Buckets are often reportedly stolen, while many have spoken about its “sheer ugliness” and complained about its frustrating engineering.
However, the fountain also has its staunch defenders.
“Was visiting on Tuesday. Grew up playing around that fountain. You don’t have the inner child’s want of a simpler time,” a resident named Megan said.
Mona Krewal, a disappointed tourist, agreed with Mr Fisher, saying: “I don’t even know why that weird thing is mentioned in travel guides. I was hugely disappointed when I first saw it. It’s simply ugly and when you pass by you very often get a bit wet when you try to social distance from other people on Cuba Street.”
After his tweet raised the hackles of locals, Mr Fisher apologised.
“I’m aware this tweet has given rise to significant consternation amongst the Wellington community. I apologise. I misspoke. This was an auto-correct error. I meant ‘classiest’,” Mr Fisher tweeted.
The editor of Dominion Post newspaper Joy Duncan once said: “It is, I think, the sheer ugliness of the thing that fascinates. The fact that it doesn’t work efficiently merely adds to the onlooker’s incredulity.”
A write-up in the Post in 1974 said: “Oohs and aahs, in various languages, as the tourists click camera shutters to catch the great moment always amuse the regular shoppers in the street.”
