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Log cabin built by Joe Hunt and John Morris, Maruia Springs 1931.
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DescriptionIt was upriver from the Motor Inn. He built this to live in while he helped build the Maruia Hostel. He also built a hut in the Robinson River which he used as a base when deer shooting.Date of Photo1931Map[1] ContributorJeremy Foster.
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Location (city or town)Maruia SpringsPersonJoe HuntJohn MorrisLandmark (Place)Log cabin Miss Bell's cabinEventLog cabin built by Joe Hunt and John Morris, Maruia Springs 1931.
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Date Created3rd August 2019CommentsPete Doncliff Palmers Rd ??
Maye Dunn It was upriver from the Motor Inn. He built this to live in while he helped build the Maruia Hostel. He also built a hut in the Robinson River which he used as a base when deer shooting.
Pete Doncliff thank you...I was told he also had one up Palmers Rd....
Christina Minamizawa Hi - I am Joe Hunt’s granddaughter - I will ask my Dad but can’t see how to share this ?
Kay Palmer The cabin is still there...Just. Quite derelict but the garden and house still there. Also a photo of Jo Hunt. It's about a 5min walk upstream from the lodge.. My great grandfather A J Palmer owned all the land in the valley that still has the family name. Palmers Rd
Anne Carter Yes he did my late
partner use to bike down and see him in his house.he moved there when his wife died and raised the children
Anne Carter House is still there on Palmers road with a little modern cabin there too
Maye Dunn Christina Minamizawa you can save it by clicking on it then right click to save to your computer or by using the download icon on the left of the photo in Recollect. Otherwise message me your email and I'll send it to you.
Christina Minamizawa Maye Dunn thanks as this is not one of the two cabins I remember. I tried to save the one Tilly Bells had from old Lands & Survey and still have other plans. Love the interest in this photo, I can learn family history-
Gwen Gardner Miss Tilly bells ?
Glenn Johnston I visited it when it was derelict post 2000.
Dorothy Wills I took a photo of this cabin in 1967 a slightly different angle very interesting to read the comments both my husband and I knew Joe very well when my 3rd son was in the Reefton hospital in about 1969-70 with a chopped off finger Joe spent a lot of time with him kept his spirits up he would have been 6 or 7. We were very appreciative of the companionship Joe gave him
Peter McKenzie Is that the John Morris who owned the earlier Maruia sprongs hotel ?
Myron Caldwell Just think how tough they must have been to live in those conditions.
Christina Minamizawa Myron Caldwell Yes such harsh conditions especially in the winter.
Garry Cooke Ol Joe was a tuff ol fella,seen him drag a young fella of 20/25 off the tables at the pub one night, the guy thought it fun to do a brown eye, Joe thrashed the guy in very quick fashion.. He could beat me up to the tops when l was a teen and he was in his 60s, one tuff ol rooster was Joe.
Jim Staton Wonder if this was Miss Bells log cabin, Miss Bell purchased a log cabin near the Maruia Hotel in 1937, she passed away in 1987. The remains of that log cabin can still be seen.
Janet Hunt - Sintes This cabin was sold to Myrtle Ann Mary Bell on 11th November 1937.. it was about 475 yards east of the Maruia Hotel and was on Crown Land
Linda Skelton The more i look at the Photo at the top of this post the more i doubt if it is the cabin up river from the Maruia Springs.
Dorothy Wills Linda Skelton yes I am inclined to agree with you the photo I took of Miss Bells cabin as we knew it the doorway got one is in a different place
Lorraine Brian Garry thinks it's taken from the back door
Linda Skelton That would make the mountains better in the background!
Arthur Bass
Miss Bell owned thecabin later on and it has now fallen into disrepair.
Tracey Taylor
Love it
Sheryl Iraia
Solid looking.
Jock Allen
Brilliant effort those days Another Great Photo
Arthur Bass
At a guess I would say the bloke on the left is Joe Hunt by the height and snoze. A hard thing was Joe with a couple of beverages on board.Leo Fisher
met joe when he lived in palmers rd my brother was culling there in mid 50s my mum and dad took us there to catch up with our brother
Theresa Gibson
A beautiful specimen of a monkey puzzle tree, raspberry and gooseberry bushes still there, cabin was all but fallen down 20 years ago.
Heather Newby
Theresa Gibson Gooseberry bushes do well on the coast
Mervyn Pope
That man helped my brother in law and sister build there home in dick st years ago lovely man heart of gold
Arthur Bass
Mervyn Pope A different Joe HUNT. This Joe lived up Palmers Road. The other Joe lived down Victory Street by The College. He was the chippie.
Mervyn Pope
Arthur Bass thanks for that I thought it was Joe the builder
Arthur Bass
Mervyn Pope we are all allowed one mistake in a lifetime Merv. That's your one gooorne.
Cathie Ferguson
My grandparents ( Vic and Enid Hawker )lived at the end of Palmers Road. We often called in to see Joe.
Leo Fisher
have some of enid hawkers books great lady
Pam Englefield-Absolum
This was in the years of the Depression. Great little hut.
Karen Tom Paterson
I am a descendant of the Hunt family and have a photo showing all the children of Joe Hunt. My mother was Iris McMullan nee Hunt and daughter of the late Stephen and Mattie Hunt who lived in Main Street Reefton.
Anne Packer
I'm a Morris descendant so obviously interested in the John Morris in the photo. Does anyone here know which man is which in the photo and also who John Morris s parents were?
Nick Thomas
John Hunt ?
John Hunt
Nick Thomas Hi Nick. There was, may still be , a Hunt family in the Springs Junction area. Farming I believe. No relation to us thou. Geoff Roberts a good friend of mine may be able to add some info. He will see my reply. Cheers.
Arthur Bass
Nick Thomas Stephen Hunt ? Bobs son Jim was the other Hunt living down Palmers Road.
Richard Butcher
Good skills from these two, both well known Maruia identities. Was that the cabin that Tilly Bell lived in?
Julian Toon
anybody got any photos of the old hot bath pools we used when we were kids it had a big tin fence around it
i remember stopping there on a school trip
Heather Newby
Julian Toon is that at Kopara or the pools at Lewis pass?
Julian Toon
Heather Newby Lewis pass somewhere I was only 12
Pauline Barrow
Richard Butcher . Yes i think it is the same place as Tilly Bell lived in mostly on the weekends.She lived in Reefton i went with her to this cabin some times but it looked a lot different then she had an old van she use to drive . I had her for a teacher she was my favourite teacher i thought a lot of her xx
June Wilson
Pauline Barrow Yes, that is where Myrtle Bell lived , as well as Reefton. Took photos of her there when we went to visit. Must look for them, great
Pauline Barrow
June Wilson . Thank you i didn't know miss Bell's name was Myrtle .
Karen Tom Paterson
Arthur Bass the Joe Hunt who lived in Victory St Reefton was the nephew of Joe Hunt who built the log cabin. Stephen Hunt, my grandfather, was Joe Hunt Snr brother.
Kevin Oregan
Went to school with both John and Annie Morris Reefton convent the HS
Maye Dunn It was upriver from the Motor Inn. He built this to live in while he helped build the Maruia Hostel. He also built a hut in the Robinson River which he used as a base when deer shooting.
Pete Doncliff thank you...I was told he also had one up Palmers Rd....
Christina Minamizawa Hi - I am Joe Hunt’s granddaughter - I will ask my Dad but can’t see how to share this ?
Kay Palmer The cabin is still there...Just. Quite derelict but the garden and house still there. Also a photo of Jo Hunt. It's about a 5min walk upstream from the lodge.. My great grandfather A J Palmer owned all the land in the valley that still has the family name. Palmers Rd
Anne Carter Yes he did my late
partner use to bike down and see him in his house.he moved there when his wife died and raised the children
Anne Carter House is still there on Palmers road with a little modern cabin there too
Maye Dunn Christina Minamizawa you can save it by clicking on it then right click to save to your computer or by using the download icon on the left of the photo in Recollect. Otherwise message me your email and I'll send it to you.
Christina Minamizawa Maye Dunn thanks as this is not one of the two cabins I remember. I tried to save the one Tilly Bells had from old Lands & Survey and still have other plans. Love the interest in this photo, I can learn family history-
Gwen Gardner Miss Tilly bells ?
Glenn Johnston I visited it when it was derelict post 2000.
Dorothy Wills I took a photo of this cabin in 1967 a slightly different angle very interesting to read the comments both my husband and I knew Joe very well when my 3rd son was in the Reefton hospital in about 1969-70 with a chopped off finger Joe spent a lot of time with him kept his spirits up he would have been 6 or 7. We were very appreciative of the companionship Joe gave him
Peter McKenzie Is that the John Morris who owned the earlier Maruia sprongs hotel ?
Myron Caldwell Just think how tough they must have been to live in those conditions.
Christina Minamizawa Myron Caldwell Yes such harsh conditions especially in the winter.
Garry Cooke Ol Joe was a tuff ol fella,seen him drag a young fella of 20/25 off the tables at the pub one night, the guy thought it fun to do a brown eye, Joe thrashed the guy in very quick fashion.. He could beat me up to the tops when l was a teen and he was in his 60s, one tuff ol rooster was Joe.
Jim Staton Wonder if this was Miss Bells log cabin, Miss Bell purchased a log cabin near the Maruia Hotel in 1937, she passed away in 1987. The remains of that log cabin can still be seen.
Janet Hunt - Sintes This cabin was sold to Myrtle Ann Mary Bell on 11th November 1937.. it was about 475 yards east of the Maruia Hotel and was on Crown Land
Linda Skelton The more i look at the Photo at the top of this post the more i doubt if it is the cabin up river from the Maruia Springs.
Dorothy Wills Linda Skelton yes I am inclined to agree with you the photo I took of Miss Bells cabin as we knew it the doorway got one is in a different place
Lorraine Brian Garry thinks it's taken from the back door
Linda Skelton That would make the mountains better in the background!
Arthur Bass
Miss Bell owned thecabin later on and it has now fallen into disrepair.
Tracey Taylor
Love it
Sheryl Iraia
Solid looking.
Jock Allen
Brilliant effort those days Another Great Photo
Arthur Bass
At a guess I would say the bloke on the left is Joe Hunt by the height and snoze. A hard thing was Joe with a couple of beverages on board.Leo Fisher
met joe when he lived in palmers rd my brother was culling there in mid 50s my mum and dad took us there to catch up with our brother
Theresa Gibson
A beautiful specimen of a monkey puzzle tree, raspberry and gooseberry bushes still there, cabin was all but fallen down 20 years ago.
Heather Newby
Theresa Gibson Gooseberry bushes do well on the coast
Mervyn Pope
That man helped my brother in law and sister build there home in dick st years ago lovely man heart of gold
Arthur Bass
Mervyn Pope A different Joe HUNT. This Joe lived up Palmers Road. The other Joe lived down Victory Street by The College. He was the chippie.
Mervyn Pope
Arthur Bass thanks for that I thought it was Joe the builder
Arthur Bass
Mervyn Pope we are all allowed one mistake in a lifetime Merv. That's your one gooorne.
Cathie Ferguson
My grandparents ( Vic and Enid Hawker )lived at the end of Palmers Road. We often called in to see Joe.
Leo Fisher
have some of enid hawkers books great lady
Pam Englefield-Absolum
This was in the years of the Depression. Great little hut.
Karen Tom Paterson
I am a descendant of the Hunt family and have a photo showing all the children of Joe Hunt. My mother was Iris McMullan nee Hunt and daughter of the late Stephen and Mattie Hunt who lived in Main Street Reefton.
Anne Packer
I'm a Morris descendant so obviously interested in the John Morris in the photo. Does anyone here know which man is which in the photo and also who John Morris s parents were?
Nick Thomas
John Hunt ?
John Hunt
Nick Thomas Hi Nick. There was, may still be , a Hunt family in the Springs Junction area. Farming I believe. No relation to us thou. Geoff Roberts a good friend of mine may be able to add some info. He will see my reply. Cheers.
Arthur Bass
Nick Thomas Stephen Hunt ? Bobs son Jim was the other Hunt living down Palmers Road.
Richard Butcher
Good skills from these two, both well known Maruia identities. Was that the cabin that Tilly Bell lived in?
Julian Toon
anybody got any photos of the old hot bath pools we used when we were kids it had a big tin fence around it
i remember stopping there on a school trip
Heather Newby
Julian Toon is that at Kopara or the pools at Lewis pass?
Julian Toon
Heather Newby Lewis pass somewhere I was only 12
Pauline Barrow
Richard Butcher . Yes i think it is the same place as Tilly Bell lived in mostly on the weekends.She lived in Reefton i went with her to this cabin some times but it looked a lot different then she had an old van she use to drive . I had her for a teacher she was my favourite teacher i thought a lot of her xx
June Wilson
Pauline Barrow Yes, that is where Myrtle Bell lived , as well as Reefton. Took photos of her there when we went to visit. Must look for them, great
Pauline Barrow
June Wilson . Thank you i didn't know miss Bell's name was Myrtle .
Karen Tom Paterson
Arthur Bass the Joe Hunt who lived in Victory St Reefton was the nephew of Joe Hunt who built the log cabin. Stephen Hunt, my grandfather, was Joe Hunt Snr brother.
Kevin Oregan
Went to school with both John and Annie Morris Reefton convent the HS
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West Coast New Zealand History (10th Jul 2023). Log cabin built by Joe Hunt and John Morris, Maruia Springs 1931.. In Website West Coast New Zealand History. Retrieved 28th Apr 2026 22:32, from https://westcoast.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/25778