Thursday, 20 November 2025

Sumner's beachside surfer houses get reprieve from demolition

    By Kees Chalmers
    1. Canterbury
    2. Christchurch

    The surfer house known as ‘Dog Town’ will soon be available for rent again after seemingly...
    The surfer house known as ‘Dog Town’ will soon be available for rent again after seemingly escaping demolition. PHOTOS: KEES CHALMERS
    Two iconic Sumner surfer houses – colloquially known as ‘Dog Town’ and ‘Shore Shack’ – may escape the bulldozer for a while longer.

    Owner Denis Harwood told The Press in December last year the houses on the Marriner St/Esplanade corner would be demolished in June to make way for a 21-apartment luxury development.

    In August, he was reported as saying the planned complex would be four storeys high and worth $78-$85 million.

    But now a ‘for rent’ sign is on Dog Town’s fence and long overdue renovations are starting to be made, indicating the development is either on hold or not going ahead.

    The for rent sign on the fence surrounding the Marriner St corner property. PHOTO: Kees Chalmers
    The for rent sign on the fence surrounding the Marriner St corner property. PHOTO: Kees Chalmers
    Harwood did not respond to requests for comment.

    Harwood bought Dog Town at 58 Marriner St and the adjacent Shore Shack at 52 Marriner St in March 1993.

    The properties have a combined RV of $3.72m.

    The city council said no resource consents have been applied for at either property.

    It was previously reported Harwood intended to build 20 five-star serviced apartments in February 2016, but the plans were never realised for reasons unclear.

    Across the road from the beach, surfers have called Dog Town a haven for more than 30 years.

    It is now tenantless but the adjacent Shore Shack still has people living there.

    Dog Town is at 58 Marriner St and ‘Shore Shack’ at 52 Marriner St, both just across the road from...
    Dog Town is at 58 Marriner St and ‘Shore Shack’ at 52 Marriner St, both just across the road from the beach. PHOTO: GOOGLE MAPS
    Charlie Brown was among the last of the tenants at Dog Town and lived in the 1920s bungalow for about four years. He and his housemates left in May.

    He was glad to see the infamous shack’s legacy live on.

    “It’s cool to see it still standing, and especially the house next door (Shore Shack) gets to keep being a remnant of what used to be – an amazing waterside of surfers and people who enjoy that kind of lifestyle,” he said.