The Hermit of Island Bay was a well-known personality, and somewhat of a tourist attraction, at the end of the 19th century in Wellington, New Zealand. [1]
His name is recorded as "Persse" by several newspapers of the time, [2] [3] and as "William Persse" by a biographer. [4]
The Hermit lived for 17 years in a cave beside the southern coast, in Island Bay, close to Houghton Bay. The cave had a single opening, through which smoke from his fire exited. [5]
Many tourists approached his cave and interacted with the Hermit, who is reported to have been neither pleased nor unhappy with the attention. [6]
His cave was boarded up and partially destroyed when Queens Drive was built in 1894. [7]
An oil painting, depicting the Hermit in his cave beside his fire, is held in the collection of the national museum of New Zealand, Te Papa Tongarewa. [8]
References
- ^ Evening Post, Volume XXVIII, Issue 133, 2 December 1884, Page 3
- ^ Star , Issue 6248, 4 August 1898, Page 1
- ^ Star, Issue 6215, 1 August 1898, Page 3
- ^ The Hermit of Island Bay / by Pat Hutchison
- ^ Dominion Post
- ^ Colonist, Volume XXVIII, Issue 4261, 6 October 1885, Page 4
- ^ Hermit made way for coastal tour
- ^ Object: The hermit of Island Bay