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Poet Allen Curnow’s bach bought sight unseen; now listed after 24 years
Originally a one-room bach, this property was home to the late poet Allen Curnow from 1963 till his death in 2001.
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The historic Karekare bach of celebrated poet Allen Curnow is for sale after 24 years. The current owner, Brendan Donovan, purchased the property sight unseen in 2002 and has carefully preserved its unique character.
This classic fibrolite bach features a distinctive butterfly roof, original timber details, and modern updates like a replica 1960s kitchen. It offers a rare connection to New Zealand's literary history, with Curnow's own fold-down desk remaining as a fixture in the home.
Back in 2002, Brendan Donovan took a massive leap of faith to put in an unconditional offer on poet Allen Curnow’s Karekare bach - sight unseen.
Donovan, who works in the film industry, was living in Los Angeles at the time, having formerly lived in New York for eight years: “I was a 9/11 refugee I guess,” he says. “I was looking for a place down here and visiting my parents when I saw an ad in the paper for the property.”
Until he spoke to the real estate agent, he didn’t realise it was the house Curnow (1911- 2001) had built for himself and his partner Jeny in 1963. It had come to market following his death.
Over the years the bach grew - it now has two bedrooms and a spacious open-plan living area.
“I studied Curnow at university, so I knew who he was. But I was just about to get on a flight so I sent my Mum out to have a look. When I arrived back in LA there was a long email from her, and at the end of it, she wrote: ‘Buy it!’.”
Donovan says there was already a conditional offer on the property, so he “took the jump” and put in an unconditional offer to secure it ($250,000).
The large deck is essentially another room.
Flashback to 2002: Brendan Donovan holds a photo of the cottage as it first looked. Jeny is browsing through photo albums behind
“When I came back, it was a nervous drive out there to see it for the first time, but I was most rewarded at the end. It’s a beautiful, soulful place that’s rare in its simplicity.”
He says Allen and Jeny (later to become Curnow’s wife) had only found the site after they got lost driving to Piha. The bush sections were steep and narrow, so they bought two, and the property remains on two titles.
Owner Brendan Donovan has maintained and improved the cottage over the past 24 years, all while preserving its original character.
The original floorboards and timber sarking are key features of the interior.
“For me, it was a tonic, a calming balm after an intense time,” Donovan says. He says quite a few things were left behind, including the couple’s bed, all the crockery and Curnow’s fold-down desk, which remains in one of the bedrooms.
“For years, I slept in Allen’s bed, till I eventually replaced it,” Donovan says. “I wrote a screenplay at his desk - it’s a great spot. When you’re sitting at the desk you have a view right down the valley. And there are visitations from native birds.”
Donovan lived full-time at the house for “five or six years” and has maintained and improved the house while holding onto its original Mid-century character.
“When Allen built it, it was just a one-room place for a while. Eventually it got its butterfly roof and became the classic fibrolite Kiwi bach.”
Today, the two-bedroom bach has new appliances, including heat pumps. And Donovan has installed a new orange kitchen that’s an exact replica of the original ‘60s one.
These photos of Allen and Jeny (in the original kitchen) are from a family album that Jeny showed Donovan shortly after he bought the house.
Even the furniture is in keeping with the Mid-century era.
The bach still has its timber flooring and sarking, with exposed beams and open framing in the hallway. Built-in shelving in the living room remains. The bedrooms walls are lined with ply.
Donovan says he was invited to call on Curnow’s widow after he bought the property, and was shown lots of photos. And there is a professional connection. Curnow was a professor at the University of Auckland, as was Jeny, and now Donovan is a senior lecturer there (in film studies).
The property has been listed for sale because Donovan is “pursuing other opportunities”.
Donovan says he slept in Curnow’s bed for years, but has since replaced it.
Allen Curnow’s fold-down desk remains in place on the wall of this bedroom - the owner, who works in the film industry, wrote a screenplay sitting at the desk.
“It’s a phase in my life I have really enjoyed and I can happily move on from here. It has been a healing thing and it has helped me raise a boy [his son]. And it will continue to be an awesome place for the next owners.”
Donovan says he wrote to the Curnows’ son Wystan to tell him he was selling and asked if he wished to purchase it. And while Wystan said he wasn’t in a position to buy, he did say: “It was a blast to see the pictures which I have shared with my sons.
“I'm so impressed with the care you have taken in your gentle updating, so that for us it remains so familiar and a place of so many fond memories... All of my three sons spent family holidays there, and separately visited when Allen and Jeny there were in residence. Barney, especially went fishing with his grandfather.”
The bathroom echoes the orange of the kitchen.
The property at 101-103 Lone Kauri Rd, Karekare, Auckland is listed with Maria Fontes of Ray White Green Bay, who specialises in properties on Auckland’s west coast beaches. It is being sold with a deadline sale date of April 2, 2026.
Fontes says Karekare has around 320 permanent residents and is notable for its serenity, natural beauty and the “iconic black sand surf beach”.
Allen Curnow published a collection of 10 poems in a book titled The Loop in Lone Kauri Road, which were based on his experience of living here
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