Punters attending an upmarket vineyard concert on Waiheke Island were forced to relieve themselves in bushes because of 45-minute wait times for portaloos. 

Locals bused home to use the bathroom and claim they had to fight with security for re-entry to the venue at the Wild Estate. One woman claimed she left the event entirely over the wait times. 

The Saturday show was part of prominent United Kingdom DJ and electronic music producer Carl Cox’s NZ tour. 

Doors opened at 3.30pm, and the gig ran until 9pm. 

While punters have spoken out about being caught short by long queues, the venue says it put on extra toilets for the gig, and it hopes the situation didn’t detract from a wonderful event. 

One concertgoer, who wished to remain anonymous, said she estimated about 2000 people attended. 

She said she saw the long, snaking portaloo line as soon as she arrived about 5.30pm. 

“There were 150 in the line. It was a shambles.” 

People waited up to 45 minutes for the portaloos that were available, she said. 

Many people, mainly women, could not wait that long and frantically searched the venue for a bush to relieve themselves. 

At the front of the queue, security guards were acting as “traffic controllers”, which only seemed to slow things down even more, the woman said. 

While there were other toilets around a corner, the guards were not letting people through; instead encouraging people to use the ones with the large line, she claimed. 

The woman spoke to a couple who lived on Waiheke who were so desperate they bused home. They then had to spend 20 minutes convincing security to let them back inside the gig. 

Standard rules prevent people from leaving and re-entering a venue, but the couple argued it was justified. Security eventually let them re-enter, the woman said. 

Another punter, who wished to remain anonymous, said she arrived at 5.30pm and twice waited in 30-minute lines to use the toilet. 

“I originally thought there weren’t enough portaloos, but apparently there were more hidden around the corner. 

“It seems it was just a poor layout.” 

She said security guards were not telling people in the line about the additional toilets. 

Both fans said they enjoyed the music and still had a good time with their friends, but wished the concert had been planned better. 

Wild Estate general manager Josh Stalker said they calculated the number of toilets needed using the “standard base formula provided by Auckland Council”. 

An extra 20% was also added. 

“We have successfully delivered many events at Wild Estate with similar attendance numbers using the same formula, and it has consistently proven effective. 

“Our intention was to ensure adequate facilities and a seamless experience for all guests and we hope that this did not detract from what was an amazing event.” 

Director of Audiology touring Mitch Lowe said the venue was responsible for the infrastructure of the event, including the portaloos.