Cicely and Doug Morrison purchased a section off Feehly's orchard in what became known as Caernarvon St, Arrowtown, in 1956.
Now a permanent Arrowtown resident, Cicely's decision years earlier to invest in Arrowtown for the sake of her family has come to fruition.
A mother of four young children, Cicely did a very "radical" thing for the 1950s; she returned to work as a teacher.
"I had started teaching and it was a very new thing I did. None of my friends were working and I had quite a bit of criticism though they joined me later!
"It was so new, the idea, that we worked it out together that we would not incorporate my money in the family budget at all.
"That money we used for a purpose for the family All my money went to here. As we saved up, and it wasn't a lot, we developed it more.
"When we bought the section, we bought the section for 1200, that included a little cottage that was originally a miners' cottage. It had nothing. No facilities of course.
"At first, that's what Doug and I lived in, and the children, there were four of them, they had two big tents under the pear tree.
"Then, as we got enough money together, we put down the foundations. Most of us went very slowly, most of us didn't have the money. Practically all of us didn't have much money.
"My son-in-law once said to us 'why didn't you get a loan and get it done?'; To be honest, it never occurred to us, and if it had, we would never have dreamed of doing it. One mortgage was all we thought we could handle.
"At the back there was an old tap and Doug put a pipe with a shower head on it and put a brush fence around it and that's where we showered. Cold showers, but in the summer it was lovely. Very primitive, but it was wonderful."
Over the years the Morrison family developed their crib.
A friend of Doug's taught building at the Otago Polytechnic, and he got his students to draw up plans for the crib.
Another friend of Doug's had the timber pre-cut and taught Doug how to build.
Locals were hired for the plumbing and electricity, local knowledge went a long way, and they never suffered from burst or frozen pipes.
As both Cicely and Doug were teachers, they were able to spend the entire summer holiday in Arrowtown with their children.
"My children still think of New Chum's Creek as belonging to the family. New Chum's Creek is about six crossings up towards Macetown.
"If we were picnicking we would take the car up. It's what we did, we picnicked. When we wanted a change we went to Lake Hayes.
"The men golfed a lot and the woman walked a lot. See, we weren't burdened with the children. We were talking not that long ago and [the children] said it was just so wonderful, we only came home for meals. It was so safe. The children disappeared for the day.
"How amazing it was that they could just go away and nobody knew where they were. Imagine it now! Sometimes I'd hear a noise up on the hill somewhere and I'd wave a sheet.
"They tell me now of the horrific things they did. How they walked along the pipeline [high above the river], how they climbed over the bath gates at night and had a swim just for the devilment! They had a wonderful time.
"I'm just so grateful we were able to do it. Our reward for it is the way my family feel. When we had the wedding of my granddaughter up here, they went up the river and picked flowers - my granddaughter's wedding bouquet was lupins and flowers from the river.
"My daughter-in-law married her and she said this is a symbol of the fact that Doug and Cicely's dream came true. Wasn't that nice?
• Our Piece of Paradise - a Lakes District Museum and Mactodd exhibition - runs from November 2008 until February 2009 at the Lakes District Museum, 49 Buckingham St, Arrowtown.
Telephone: (03) 442-1824; fax: (03) 442-0835; email: museum@queenstown.co.nz or visit the website, www.museumqueenstown.com
