Yes, I said “toilet.” Americans are very delicate when it comes to referring to the facilities. We have ladies’ and men’s rooms, we have restrooms, we have bathrooms. In some places we have the “powder room.” We do not have “toilets.” But in New Zealand, they most assuredly have “toilets.” That is what the directional sign says and that is what they call it.
At first, I found it jarring to my delicate ears. Here is how it goes:
Me: “Can you tell me where the restroom is?”
Them: “Yes, the toilet is over there.”
Maybe this is my prudish side coming out but that sentence just bothers me. “Toilet” seems like such a strident word when spoken in a sentence. I was raised to say the much more indirect and genteel term, “restroom.” “Restroom” only vaguely suggests what might be going on in there. I’m resting. Leave me alone. But “toilet “expresses it loudly and clearly. And honestly, I just do not want to know what goes on in there other than resting, and I don’t want others to know what I might be doing in there besides resting.
Once you get over the word, there is a silver lining. New Zealand has the best and most available public toilets we have ever encountered. In the U.S., finding a public toilet is pretty much impossible. Usually, you have to find a fast food restaurant or some other business or building that has restrooms open to the public. And the maintenance can often be lacking.
Here in New Zealand, every town or neighborhood seems to have a clean and bright public toilet. They are usually small buildings. Some are much like the facilities that you might find at any public park. But others are much newer with fancy chrome facades and doors which are opened with the push of a button. The door opens to a spacious room, with a toilet, sink, baby changing table, and a hand dryer. With the click of another button the door locks electronically and, in many of them, music begins to play and the fan kicks in. You then have ten minutes. The door will unlock after that time. No matter the style, the restrooms are always clean and stocked. The room has a tile floor and walls to prevent graffiti. You can tell someone cares.
So yes, they may use the cruder word, but the experience is anything but that. Hooray for New Zealand toilets!
A Yank Among the Kiwis 