“Did anyone bring a paintbrush?” a voice joked from the back of the group. You might think that’s a strange question here at Cave Bay, but it has a story behind it! Now, Cave Bay itself might not be as immediately striking as some of the dramatic fiords you see further south, but it holds a special charm. This bay was once home to a man known only as the “Hermit of Island Bay”. For 17 years, from the 1860s onwards, he lived a solitary life in a cave tucked away along this very coastline.
Imagine the rugged coastline as it was then – less developed, wilder. The Hermit, we know his name was likely “Persse”, chose this simple life, finding refuge in the cave’s embrace. People would visit him, curious about his unconventional lifestyle. He wasn’t exactly thrilled by the attention, but he wasn’t hostile either. He was a man of few words, content with the company of the sea and his own thoughts.
His story is immortalized in a painting now held by Te Papa Tongarewa, the national museum. The artwork depicts the Hermit inside his cave, a fire flickering beside him, the rough-hewn walls a testament to his simple existence. Unfortunately, his home didn’t survive the march of progress. When Queens Drive was built in 1894, the cave was boarded up, partially destroyed, lost to time. Yet, standing here at Cave Bay, we can still imagine the Hermit’s presence, a silent echo of a time when life moved at a different pace. We can almost smell the salt air mingling with smoke from his fire, hear the waves crashing against the shore, his only companions.