Inlet shed to be rebuilt
THE Hoopers Inlet boat shed loved by photographers around the world is set to return to Otago Peninsula.
The photogenic shed, which has been the centrepiece of aurora images taken in the area, collapsed during a storm in February.
The shed had been owned for almost 40 years by Graham Smith (86), formerly of Dunedin, who was battling health problems at the time of the storm.
One of his sons, Roy Smith, said this week the boat shed had been pulled down at Easter, ‘‘so it wouldn’t fall apart and spoil the inlet’’.
But, after a long battle with insurer IAG, the good news was the family had finally reached a settlement that would allow the shed to be rebuilt, he said.
‘‘We hope to start soon on drawings for a rebuild with work commencing either later this year or early next year.
‘‘It will look just like the old boat shed as we want to keep it the same for historical reasons and for photographers.’’
The sad news was Mr Smith’s father had died before seeing the settlement process through, he said.
Details of the settlement remained confidential, but the sum received would ‘‘come close’’ to covering the cost of rebuilding the shed, he said.
‘‘Our desire is to rebuild it so it can be a legacy to my father and all the work he did on the boat shed over the years, to a bygone era when there were dozens of cribbies at Hoopers Inlet and all the regattas they shared, to the fun times our family has had, with all the great memories, and hopefully the next generation will also have great times there like we did.’’
Otago Museum director Dr Ian Griffin, a regular aurora photographer in the area, said news the shed would be rebuilt was ‘‘fantastic’’.
‘‘I’m sure aurora hunters all over the world will be grateful about that.
‘‘Obviously I love the boat shed and I’ve taken many pictures from around there. I think the three boat sheds that are on that side of Hoopers are pretty iconic anyway.
‘‘It’s not really just about the nighttime stuff, although that’s important. They’re also kind of an important part of the history of the inlet, so having it restored is a really, really fantastic thing from my perspective.
‘‘I’m just delighted to hear the news.’’