Wacky. Wonky. Wondrous.
They're all adjectives that can be applied to the artistic expression of Friedrich Hundertwasser, who called Northland home for the last 30 years of his life.
From the most celebrated public conveniences in the country — a vibrant pitstop in the main street of Kawakawa — to the off-the-wall Hundertwasser Centre overlooking Whangārei's Town Basin, the last piece of the Hundertwasser jigsaw is soon to be publicly revealed.
His sprawling sanctuary at Kaurinui on the fringe of the Bay of Islands, between Kawakawa and Opua, is soon to be opened to tour groups.
Nestled in a beautiful valley amongst thousands of trees he planted, the Austrian-born artist and architect found the peace and inspiration he longed for — to paint and be at one with nature.
His friend and New Zealand Hundertwasser representative Richard Smart described the property as portraying the essence of the man.
"This is what he created for himself, where he was comfortable. Nobody came and judged it, he was just being himself here.
"He was living his dream."
That dream centred around two buildings pivotal in the property's former life as a farm — a converted pigsty where he lived, and a milking shed where he painted and experimented with building techniques, including his trademark walls made with bottles.
Both buildings are an intriguing slice of Hundertwasser's life away from the public eye.
The one-time pigsty is particularly insightful, still largely as it was when he set out almost 24 years ago on a trip to Europe on the QE 2 cruise liner.
Sadly the 72-year-old was to die on board off the Queensland coast, with his body being returned to Kaurinui.
"Kaurinui is something very special," said Helen Whittaker, who is leading the fundraising to restore the property.
"You feel immersed in a world where an artist spent time and poured his heart and soul into his work and his surroundings.
"It was the place where he could 'walk the talk' and honour his connection to nature."
Nature was no more on show than in a cave where he sought solitude — the rock roof crawling with giant wētā.
For those not wētā phobic, Hundertwasser's oasis will open to small visitor groups within the next couple of months.
"We don't want it to be a full-on tourist attraction. It's more of an intimate look into the life of a visionary who lived life exactly the way he wanted.
"For those with an interest in art or Hundertwasser himself, the property provides a greater understanding of the man."
And with that understanding will come clarity over his final wish — to be buried at a site on the property he dubbed "The Garden of the Happy Dead".
He asked that a young tree be planted on top of him so that his decomposing body could help fertilise its growth.
"He's now compost and he's growing and living in that tree and we feel like he's here still," said Smart.
"He said he was looking forward to being in 'The Garden of the Happy Dead', so it's good to know he's happy there."
As for the tulip tree, it's more than 10 metres tall and beautifully healthy.
That Hundertwasser humus is clearly a powerful nutrient.
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