First Ripiro Beach writing resident reports back

Calm, peace and two weeks by the beach.

These ingredients make up the inaugural Ripiro Beach Non-Fiction Writing Residency for University of Auckland alumni, whose first recipient, Honorary Associate Professor of Sociology Avril Bell, a University alumna and author of the bestselling Becoming Tangata Tiriti: Working with Māori, Honouring the Treaty (AUP, 2024), has just returned.

Established in 2024 by author Caroline Barron (Master of Creative Writing, 2015), Jeremy Barron and Associate Professor Paula Morris, director of the University’s Master of Creative Writing programme, the residency offers an alum from the University (from any faculty) two weeks in the Barron’s holiday bach to work towards, or complete, a work of creative non-fiction; a genre that combines factual accounts of real people with the literary techniques of fiction and poetry.

Ripiro Beach, also known as Baylys, is a wild and beautiful place not far from Dargaville in Northland, known for its sandstone cliffs, kauri relics and for being the longest beach, at 112-km long, in the country.

Avril Bell’s application was chosen from 11 others of high calibre, so she was delighted to be successful.

"It was a wonderful opportunity to have a complete break from the demands of day-to-day life to solely concentrate on my project, which is based on the life of my great-great-grandfather, who was an early settler in colonial Auckland between 1840 and 1870."

And she says two weeks provided a perfect amount of time to settle into the work, develop a daily routine and make good progress, without being so long as to make it difficult for people to extract themselves from their lives to take up.

“The timing for me was perfect. I had done a lot of research, but had written very little actual draft text for the book, and I was able to use this time to generate substantial sections of a number of planned chapters. I now have a solid foundation of drafted sections that will make it much easier to continue the momentum on this project.”

Bell found Ripiro Beach a very conducive context for this focused writing time.

“The community at Ripiro is small and quiet – certainly in winter – while the beach itself is ideal for walks to take a break and to re-energise. And Dargaville is not far away to replenish supplies and for walks along the riverbank and in the public gardens for a change of scene.”

And the Barron family bach at the beach was also perfect for this residency, she says.

“The house is in a quiet cul-de-sac, surrounded by large trees and with glimpses of the beach. Herons were regular visitors to the tall pohutukawa on the section. The house is spacious and comfortable and easy to make warm on what turned out to be a couple of quite chilly winter weeks.”

She says the fireplace was great, easy to work, quickly warmed the living areas of the house and main bedroom, and firewood was plentiful; all important considerations for a winter residency where you’re unavoidably sitting still most of the time.

And there were plenty of inviting places to work.

“At the dining table, at the desk in the back bedroom, or on the couch. The dining table worked for me, but I know that some writers like to move around and like different kinds of spaces, so options are great. Everything in the house was very comfortable and to a high standard, so I have nothing to suggest to improve the quality of the accommodation. I loved the bach vibe too.”
 

Bell is very grateful to Associate Professor Morris, the Faculty of Arts and Education and the University of Auckland for hosting this award, and to Morris and the Barrons for having the vision and doing the work to create the award in the first place.

“And I especially want to thank Caroline Barron and the Barron family for their generosity in making this award possible. As well as the house, the stipend of $1,500 generously covers all the costs of getting to the beach and expenses while there. I was only coming from Tāmaki Makaurau, but it would be enough to cover a rental car and/or flights from other parts of the country.”

She says the residency was “an incredible gift”.

“And I’m exceedingly grateful and honoured to have been its first recipient.”

The Ripiro Beach Non-Fiction Writing Residency for University of Auckland alumni takes place over two weeks between July to September of each year, and includes accommodation at the Barron family bach at Ripiro Beach (Baylys Beach) and a $1,500 stipend funded by the Barron Family and the Master of Creative Writing Alumni Fund.

Applications for the the 2026 residency will open on 2 March 2026.