Winter is our time to reconnect with awe and wonder. On the rugged Banks Peninsula coastline, Canterbury creatives Wendy and Alex Keir have used their talents to create a place for their guests to truly reconnect with what’s important.

Words Lucinda Diack, Photos Kelly Shakespeare & Lisa Sun

A stone’s throw from Christchurch, Camp Bay feels both entirely accessible and completely cut off from the rest of the world. A winding, narrow gravel road guides you down to a small settlement and one of Canterbury’s hidden gems – a gentle sloping beach perfect for swimming, with volcanic rocks and expansive hill farmland as far as the eye can see. Tucked only a short stroll from the beach is Wendy and Alex Keir’s property, Keirangi – a 306-hectare sheep and beef farm that stretches from coastline to skyline. A dream property, that took them the best of eight years to call their own.

Alex grew up on a generational farm in Charlton, Southland and Wendy in Greta Valley, North Canterbury, yet for nearly a decade the duo called Waikato home – Wendy was working as a graphic designer and Alex as a qualified builder. ‘The South always calls you back,’ says Wendy with a smile. ‘And one day we were walking around the Mount and thought – what do we really want to be doing? We knew it was time to head back South, but what would we do and where?

‘We knew we wanted to have a family business that was centred around a property where we could both use our skill sets. With Alex’s love of farming and building and my design, we knew we could do something special, like build cabins on our own farmland. So we wrote a list of what we wanted and started looking.’

‘It was a really long list,’ laughs Alex. ‘I remember thinking we have made this really hard on ourselves, where on earth were we going to find a place that ticked all the boxes?’ The wish list included water views, rugged hills, natural features, near a major city, affordable, and a place with a story to tell.

‘It was at this point that we first saw the Camp Bay property listed for sale,’ says Wendy. ‘But we weren’t ready to buy, so it went out of our minds … but not completely; subconsciously it was always there. While we were looking, a short-term farmhand job came up in Albury, South Canterbury, so we thought let’s get down there. It will make it easier to find a property – six months and we will have something … surely!

‘I will never forget the moving guys who transported our furniture – we left a brand-new house, and moved to an old farm cottage during the cold winter to the middle of nowhere. The driver looked at me and asked if we knew what we were doing! We did, it was a sacrificial move with a toddler and a five-week-old, but we had a dream to find.’

Eighteen months later the job on the farm in Albury came to an end and Wendy and Alex were still living in a old farm cottage, their hopes of finding and securing their dream property fading. ‘We just kept missing,’ says Wendy. ‘We were no further ahead, despite spending hours searching property listings and making offers.

‘It wasn’t all bad. Albury was an amazing community and we had time to fine-tune what we were after. Which looked more and more like the property at Camp Bay.

The couple are contemplative as they reflect on this period and the knowledge that there were many who thought they should give up, or at least compromise on what they were looking for. ‘We went from Albury to Alex’s mum’s place in Rangiora which again, was only meant to be temporary,’ laughs Wendy. ‘Just a couple of months at most, but Covid got in the way of that.’

Yet, nearly a year later, lo and behold, there it was – Wendy and Alex’s dream property at Camp Bay was listed on Trade Me. ‘We didn’t think we had a chance at the auction,’ says Wendy. ‘This was a period where the interest from overseas buyers was immense due to Covid, and we went in mentally prepared not to get it, but we did!

‘We are both creatives,’ continues Wendy. ‘It’s all we talk about, so even though it took years, we knew we needed to find the perfect place to allow us to nurture that together and ignite that creativity with purpose. It felt like there were a lot of barriers to allow it all to align, but we did it.’

The couple and their young daughters, Indie (nine) and Heidi (seven), have now called Keirangi home for just over four years and have well and truly made their mark on the beautiful location – while adhering to the natural landscape and history of the property that attracted them to it in the first place.

‘Alex has this incredible knack of turning something run down into something that is workable and beautiful,’ says Wendy. ‘From the outset the purpose of the property was to use our talents and skill sets that would allow us to share it, and it was the appeal of the two historic huts on the property – an old fishing hut built in the early 1930s and an 1883 historic schoolhouse – that cemented the idea of offering historic cabins with a story.

‘Luxury cabins are popping up everywhere,’ continues Wendy, ‘and property owners see it as a side hustle income stream. However, for us it was the history and storytelling behind the huts and creating authentic slow stays that was front of mind from the start. We wanted to create stories with our stays, bringing in the science of design so guests walk away feeling like they were really thought of and every element had meaning.’ This was where their accommodation business, The Wonderful’s started to unfold.

Built during the depression in the early 1930s and clad in old-pressed kerosene tins, which were floated over from Lyttelton, the fisherman’s hut has been renamed ‘The Bearded Poet’ and through Canopy Camping has become a coveted destination for those seeking an opportunity to slow down and soak in the restorative views of the rugged shoreline. ‘Alex found his match with this hut,’ enthuses Wendy. ‘His best (and worst) quality is his pioneering spirit and do-it-himself attitude, but the minute we decided to restore the hut, we knew we could make something special.

‘We believe in being inventive and digging deep on creativity rather than pockets, as this is where the magic happens and it truly does show. The seaside cabin had seen better days, so Alex would work on it over the winters and we would open it up for the summer for welcomed cashflow.’

It took two and a half years and a slow evolution of plans to achieve their vision. Luxury linens sit alongside historical detailing; recycled timber and restored doors create a sense of warmth; and while the kerosene cladding appears untouched, it was carefully removed, treated and re-fitted after the hut was re-piled and structurally brought up to code.

‘Alex puts everything into a project,’ explains Wendy. ‘His passion, talent and love for what he creates is felt when you walk into this space. He even built the kitchen from scratch. The tones and earthy, old-worldly feel gives both a fisherman’s galley and a homesteader vibe. It really captures how we want our guests to feel – like they have stepped back into a simpler time, enveloped by solitude but engulfed in wonder.’ 

The second hut on the property caters for a different type of guest, with a 1.5-hour private hike required before arriving at the bay of the humble, historic Little Port Cooper School House – an 1883 building built for the children of the families who used to call Little Port Cooper home. ‘The men were the ships’ guides for the harbour,’ says Alex, ‘and this is the only building left of this historic settlement.’

‘If you are looking for luxury accommodation, you will not find it here,’ laughs Wendy. ‘This 130-year-old building is still very original, think basic back-country hut needs! We can’t wait to dive into giving this hut a little more love; but we have a few other projects planned for The Wonderful’s first.

‘Although the history on this farm is not our own, we are captivated by it, and strive to honour it through storytelling with our huts.’

Watching Wendy and Alex bounce ideas and stories between each other is enough to make you want to snuggle under a blanket with a hot drink and enjoy the tales that emerge. Their passion for history is palpable as is their passion for their breathtaking property. Wendy sums it up perfectly: ‘If you are looking for wonder, for simple pleasures, this could be just where you find it.’