The foundations on which Hone Tuwhare wrote his last work are being repaired as Tuwhare's son works to restore his Kaka Point crib and carry on his legacy.
Tuwhare's son Rob and two other members of the Hone Tuwhare Charitable Trust are set to spend the weekend working on Tuwhare's house.
Tuwhare, who was named New Zealand Poet Laureate in 1999, moved to Kaka Point in 1992. He lived there until his death in Dunedin in 2008 aged 85 and wrote his last four books there.
Rob Tuwhare, who started work on the crib on Friday, said he hoped to finish repairing the foundations during the weekend as part of an effort to establish a writer and artist's residency at the house.
The work would preserve his father's ‘‘long association'' with the wider region, which started when he received the University of Otago Robbie Burns Fellowship in 1969, and Kaka Point.
‘‘He loved the community and it's carrying on his legacy and bringing people to that region.
‘‘It's a stunning location.''
The residency would carry on his father's enthusiastic support for the arts.
‘‘He read poetry to schoolchildren and generally encouraged people to pursue their artistic side.''
After the foundations were repaired, there was more work to do on the crib and, once that was complete, the plan was to build a house behind the crib that could be used for school visits and to house the family members of writers or artists.
The work was made possible by donations, including $92,000 from Mitre 10.
