I’d been admiring this corner of paradise and its hut from a far for a few months, imagining the stories it held, ahead of our planned winter stay. The five forms of transport we took added adventure to the journey and built our anticipation to reach this fabled destination. Owner Wendy greeted us at the edge of the farm track to transport us on our final leg by farm buggy to the secluded Camp Bay site. She shared stories of the land’s history with us and how the hut came to be…
The Bearded Poet - It’s the personification of a fictional character that embodies the personality of this hut. It was originally built as a family fishing getaway hut in the early 1930s with found materials including packing crates for internal walls and flattened kerosene cans for cladding. (Anything they could get their hands on during the depression). Alex and Wendy Keir took ownership of the hut, along with the 306 hectare working farm it sits on in 2020. The hut was near derelict at the time but it ticked all the boxes. “We knew we had to do something special here and restore a slice of history. Alex loves taking something run down and turning it into something beautiful” shares Wendy. With Alex’s expertise in carpentry and Wendy’s background in design, together they have created a thing of beauty. An homage to a simple life in a bygone era (with some much appreciated hidden luxuries for the contemporary holiday maker).
The rebuild and interior design here are so authentic and sympathetic to the hut’s roots that you feel like you’ve been transported to its original era. A time when things happened slowly and everything required a deliberate act. There is a simple joy in lighting the fire, heating the water on the stove and settling in with a cuppa and a book, in a place filled with character. I think my husband became the bearded poet during our stay. He’s been known to dabble in writing and could be found with pen in hand on quite a few occasions here.
Being here in the winter enabled us to experience the crisp southern air. We watched moody tufts of low hanging cloud drift and whisp along the harbour. Pockets of sun gave a golden glow to the surrounding hills. The light strained through the mist and shimmered a rainbow. We bundled up to explore the bay and retired to the warmth of the hut and crackle of the fireplace by night.
I find that inspiration comes when I take myself away from the everyday and set aside time without agenda, in a place of wonder. Here you’ll find the wonder of remoteness. The wonder of the sea. The wonder of the land. The wonder of the history. This is a place where you feel compelled to reflect. To listen to the quiet, to watch the ebbs and flows of the slowly shifting tides, to absorb. To be present.
The last 5kms of land that stretches along the Lyttelton Harbour makes up Alex and Wendy’s farm ‘Keirangi’. If you look closely at this last image you will see the Bearded Poet nestled into the bay. The Keirs are currently designing of a new hut to add to their land which will have its own tale to tell. You can follow their journey through the social handle @thewonderfuls_ . For hut bookings, head to https://canopycamping.co.nz/bearded-poet