Up close with the Evans Bay boat sheds in Wellington

A few bays round from Oriental Bay are the colourful boat sheds of Evans Bay. Demolition has been on the cards at various times since the 1930s – the sheds were seen as “untidy” and preventing the Parade from being widened. 

Luckily they are still standing today.

 

Below street level, a narrow curved pathway takes you past the ‘back doors’. The tall sloping wall gives you some interesting cropped perspectives.

Some of the sheds are almost 90 years old with a heritage classification so repairs must be done in keeping with their existing look. 

The council stipulates the sheds are not to be “lived in” and can only be used for water-based activities. Most have power and water; toilets are handy at nearby Hataitai Beach. 

One shed has an outdoor spa on its harbour-side ramp and another has solar panels. Another, smartly fitted out with a kitchenette and shower, sold recently for $210,000.

One of the most photographed sheds is that owned by Geoff Marsland of Havana Coffee fame, dubbed the ‘Havana Cruising Club’. 

Gill’s shed is sporting a fresh new paint job. She bought it 15 years ago, after hearing about it on the grapevine (the sheds only rarely come up for sale). She lives overseas but likes to visit her shed on her trips back. She is sweeping out and has a candle lit on the window sill. Planes glide in across the water to land at Wellington airport. “The special thing about coming here is the peace,” she says.

Andrew Scott' parents bought the shed below 25 years ago, and he grew up on the water. There are  windsurf boards and canoes stacked along one wall. “The sheds have never been cheap,” he says. Upkeep is costly too. Some are affected in particularly high tides: “It’s a corrosive marine environment.” 






But you get the sense that the pros weigh out the cons. Andrew has his radio tuned to Marine VHS and the shed is the perfect place to get his windsurfer ready. Soon he’ll be out on the water with his son, who is sailing with  a fleet of O’pen Bics in the fresh southerly. 

It doesn’t get much better than this! 

Check out this blog for more on Wellington boat sheds:

https://thisnzlife.co.nz/video-tour-evans-bay-poriruas-characterful-boat-sheds/

 The 'Octopus door' at #101.