Farewell to famous blue bach
An old-school Kiwi bach on a reserve near Kaiteriteri has finally been pulled down – a victim of council rules.
The little blue bach in Tapu Bay was owned by Motueka stalwart John Krammer until he surrendered it to the Tasman District Council two years ago. It was demolished last week, marking the end for the controversial old holiday home.
Krammer, 86, said he didn’t know it was being pulled down until his daughter brought a photo to his home on Te Awhina Marae on Friday.
‘‘I’m a little sad, actually, but that’s the way the big ball bounces.’’
He said opinion on the bach, which was on esplanade reserve land, had divided many.
‘‘[The demolition] will make some people happy . . . some will be unhappy. It will be interesting to see if the other properties increase in value.’’
The bach, built in 1899, was moved a short distance to a new site in the 1930s. It was on a small headland that was designated part of a wider council esplanade reserve in 1984.
There was a stir in 2015 when a majority of Tasman councillors voted to remove it, after a policy was passed banning private structures on esplanade reserves. Krammer launched a campaign to keep the bach on the land, and was backed by Tasman Mayor Richard Kempthorne and other councillors.
A few months after the corrugated iron bach was destined to be flattened, the decision was overturned, enabling Krammer to keep the building until his death.
However, in 2017 he voluntarily surrendered the holiday home he had owned for more than 30 years, selling it to the council for $1. ‘‘I wouldn’t accept it until they got me a brand new dollar.’’
Motueka Ward councillor Peter Canton voted in 2015 for the bach to be removed. He said Krammer had ‘‘fought the good fight’’ to keep the bach, despite never living there and hardly visiting it.
‘‘He had the 25 years’ notice that it had to be pulled down or removed, and he just decided six months out’’ that he wanted to keep it, Canton said. ‘‘I think it gave John a purpose to live, really.’’
Canton said the bach had been left standing since it became Tasman District’s property in 2017, as it was earmarked for a possible site for public toilets. The council was also seeing if anyone wanted to relocate the building, but noone was interested.
He said the community wanted public toilets on the reserve, as it was becoming a frequented park and the closest toilets were in Stephens Bay.
Fellow Motueka councillor David Ogilvie said a series of baches around that section of coast had been removed, with Krammer’s the last to go.
Council spokesman Richard Liddicoat said there were fewer than 12 buildings remaining on reserves around the district, and all had various arrangements in place with the council.
‘‘The arrangements tend to be unique to the situation. Some have lifetime occupancy, others have limited terms. The general principle is that we are gradually removing private structures from public places unless alternative arrangements are put in place.’’