New lease on life At the Bay

By Ann Packer

Jason and Sheryl Hotop didn’t plan to make their forever home in Eastbourne. They were simply looking for a house to renovate and sell, when they bought an old structure on Muritai Rd after moving from Wahroonga, Sydney in mid-2019, for a slower pace of life.

They freely admit they’d hardly heard of Katherine Mansfield, whose family holidayed in this Eastbourne house in Blackies Gully when the famous short story writer was a child. But as the couple did their research and got into rebuilding the heritage-listed building, they learned their villa is said to be the setting Wellington-born Mansfield had in mind when she wrote perhaps her best-known story, At The Bay.

The Hotops and their children Grace, 15, Giselle, 13 and Leon, 10 have fallen in love with the single-storey c.1905 house known as The Glen.

Visiting tour groups have recited the story from their verandah, which looks down Puriri St.

When the couple found historic photographs of the house at Alexander Turnbull Library, they thought about restoring it, but closer inspection revealed much of the property, in three flats at the time, would have to be demolished.

“It’s basically a shell,” says Jason, of the house, (pictured bottom right). “We had to start from scratch.”

Covid held up progress, even though they were using all local tradies, and during lockdown he was often pottering along on his own.

The heritage listing meant the façade had to be retained, so all windows were double-glazed and external walls strengthened, and doors restored – but most internal walls, and the rotten floorboards, had to be replaced. They’ve repiled, repurposed old bricks, relocated the old wetback from the fireplace into the garden, and replicated the colored glass and fretwork on the verandah, in keeping with the black-and-white historic photo. There’s even a fake chimney – the old one was unstable but because photos show there had been one, it had to be replicated.

In spite of all the hiccups, within 12 months the Hotops were living in the house. A huge amount of landscaping work was needed just to drive up to the house. They don’t have a classic garden yet – a fancy one may come later, but the kids just need a lawn really, says Sheryl, a Reiki practitioner who works three days a week at the local dental practice. And throughout, they’ve incorporated classic details that won’t date, so it’s set to last another hundred years.

News from Point Howard

The PHA committee took a walk around the hill after Cyclone Gabrielle and we are pleased to report there weren’t any branches or other debris to clear off the roads, and the storm water grates and sumps appeared to have functioned well. If you have a stormwater sump near your house, please check the grate from time to time and remove any debris that may stop water flowing into the stormwater system. Your downhill neighbours may be very grateful to you!

The PHA encourages residents to check their stores of food and water, and the contents of their grab and go bag. getready.govt.nz and wremo.nz/your-area/wellington-region/lowerhutt/ are great resources which detail how you and your whānau can get ready at home, work, school etc.

The Point Howard Community Garden has been loving the weather, and is seriously pumping out the vegetables. There are heaps of zucchini, cucumbers, and purple and runner beans at the moment, and the first chilis and cherry tomatoes are ripening. Speaking of tomatoes - we definitely have a bumper harvest this year. If you are keen to help on the occasional working bee or watering roster, email pointhowardgarden@gmail.com to get on the mailing list. Thank you to the volunteers who have kept up the weeding and watering. Please come and visit, take a few veggies for a meal, leave some to share, pull out a weed or two.

pthowardassn@gmail.com