Constructed of whole beech logs from the surrounding forest, the Remains of Miss Bell’s Log Cabin was originally built as a family home in circa 1930 by local man, Joe Hunt, at the up-and-coming tourist drawcard of Maruia Springs. After residing in the cabin for six years, the Joe and Madge Hunt sold to Reefton identity, Myrtle (‘Tilly’) Bell, who, over many decades, stayed at and provided school children with experiences at Maruia Springs. The place has aesthetic, architectural, cultural and historical significance or value. Maruia is associated with the story of Tamatea, captain of the Takitimu canoe. While resting at Rāpaki in Te Whakaraupō, Lyttelton, he lost his sacred fire so sent karakia to the tohunga Ngātoroirangi at Tongariro. Ngātoroirangi sent his two sisters, Te Pupu and Te Hoata, to take fire to Tamatea. By changing themselves into fireballs, the sisters sped across the landscape south to Tamatea, on the way dropping off embers that caused thermal activity at both Hanmer Springs and Maruia Springs. Throughout the centuries, Māori visited Maruia Springs as a healing centre, and it became renown for its therapeutic qualities treating skin disease. Pākeha, too, discovered these qualities and initially people used shovels to dig their own hot pool holes in the riverbank. Basic huts were built, free for use by visitors. In 1928 a road was built, providing access from Reefton. In 1933-4, a two-storied hostel (known as the Chateau) was built, run by three Morris sisters of Reefton - Sarah, Celia and Eleanor. By this time there were ten baths, reached by crossing a swing bridge over the Maruia River. Some people established themselves in the area semi-permanently, including Joe Hunt who had a camp in the area in the late 1920s. By around 1930, Hunt (possibly with the help of John Morris) had built a log cabin for himself and his new bride, Madge (née Buttress). Situated 586 metres above sea level in the valley of Maruia Springs, the log cabin is hidden amongst trees only several metres to the south of the Maruia River and some 200 metres north-eastward of the main Maruia Hot Pools complex, which is at 1513 State Highway 7 in the Lewis Pass. Now in partial ruins, the single storeyed cabin is constructed of whole beech logs and a shingle roof from the surrounding forest. Log cabins are frequently associated with North America and northern Europe. From the nineteenth century, they were built in New Zealand in places where there was an abundance of timber, though, as a construction type, they were not especially common and certainly less prevalent than in Australia at the time. The Hunts lived in the ‘Log Cabin’ at Maruia Springs for around six years, their novel home proving to be a point of interest and welcome rendezvous for many visitors. Two of their three young sons were born while the Hunts lived in the cabin. With background training in both nursing and teaching, Mrs Hunt’s nursing skills were put to use when people who fell ill or were injured in the relatively remote area. Only a year after the Hunts sold the log cabin in late 1937, Madge Hunt died. The new owner of the log cabin from 11 November 1937 was Myrtle Ann Mary Bell (b. 31 October 1895, d. 7 April 1988) who was a well-known West Coast teacher. Miss Bell (or ‘Tilly’ Bell) was community focused, working voluntarily during the 1918 Influenza Epidemic, and later frequently hosting groups at her Maruia Springs property. As a cub leader, she would take groups of children to stay at the cabin for the weekend in her Fordson van. In 1969 she was awarded the British Empire Medal for services to the community, particularly youth projects, in Reefton. Miss Bell’s long residency in the log cabin and the strong association the wider community had with her there is the reason it has long been known as the Miss Bell’s Log Cabin. Gradually, in the decades following her death in 1988, the log cabin has deteriorated so that now, in 2022, it stands only partially and a Department of Conservation sign warns visitors to keep away due to the hazards of the historic structure.