Local Expert
Liz Lewis
Liz is a freelance travel, health, and lifestyle writer. Having lived various places in the world (Hawaii, Crete, California, Germany, and Saudi Arabia), Liz now resides in New Zealand.
But living in…
Liz is a freelance travel, health, and lifestyle writer. Having lived various places in the world (Hawaii, Crete, California, Germany, and Saudi Arabia), Liz now resides in New Zealand.
But living in such a remote location has not stopped Liz from continuing to roam the world (real and cyperspace) in search of new and exciting adventures to experience and document.
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The Paua Shell House
Once upon a time there was a house called the Paua Shell House. Located in Bluff, a small coastal Southland town, it was the creation of Fred and Myrtle Flutey. They had spent years lining the walls of their lounge with the shells of the Paua, a species of abalone found only in the waters around New Zealand.
But Bluff's iconic Paua Shell House is no more. Following the death of first Myrtle in 2000 and then Fred in 2001, their grandson Ross Bowen had bought the house and shell collection from the rest of the family. He then stripped the house of the shell collection (rumoured to be over 1000) and sold the house, angering the local community who thought the collection should be donated to the town of Bluff.
Now the famous paua shell collection has resurfaced in Christchurch, featured at the Canterbury Museum.
Fred & Myrtle's Paua Shell House at Canterbury Museum is open from 9.00am daily, with sessions running throughout the day. This is kiwiana at it's best. You can watch a short film that explains how this unassuming couple created such an amazing and unusual house that known throughout the country. Then step into their famous pauau shell lounge...