Local Legends
Margot MacPhail: Cape Coast Pioneer, Community Champion, and Local Legend
Local identity Margot MacPhail — well known for producing the annual Kidnappers Escape map and publication, ringing the beach bell when marine life arrived, and spending eight adventurous years alongside author Barry Crump — devoted decades to championing the Haumoana, Te Awanga, and Clifton communities. Jamie, (Margot’s brother) caught up with Keith Newman to learn about a local legend.
Margot was born during Queen Elizabeth II’s Coronation week in 1953, when her parents, long-time Hawke’s Bay residents Ian and Penny MacPhail, returned briefly to London. Growing up as a self-described tomboy, she attended Woodford House in Havelock North before heading to Waikato University, where she shifted her studies from science to social sciences.
Early Life, Fiji, and the Barry Crump Years
In the 1970s, Margot joined an alternative lifestyle commune in Gordonton. While on a holiday in Fiji for her 21st birthday with a friend, she was asked to dance by a rough-and-ready Kiwi bloke who turned out to be the well-known author and personality Barry Crump.
A relationship formed, and she spent the next eight years living with this older, rugged outdoorsman, including becoming involved in the Bahá'í faith, which he had adopted.
At the time, Crump’s career as a writer and public figure had faded following a tragic 1969 incident near Whakatāne, where a group of youth borrowed his vehicle from a camp he organized and suffered a fatal crash on their way back from a local pub.
Crump was famous for books like A Good Keen Man and Wild Pork and Watercress (which later inspired Taika Waititi’s 2016 film Hunt for the Wilderpeople). Margot was by Crump's side across various rural properties, including during his iconic Toyota Hilux advertising campaign with ‘Scotty’ and the dog, which revitalised his public image.
Haifa and Global Service in the Bahá'í Faith
He didn’t prove to be the most caring partner, prone to erratic behaviour, and when they eventually parted, Margot worked on a farm on Great Barrier Island for a period.
She then travelled to Haifa, Israel, where she spent three or four years working at the World Center of the Bahá'í Faith on the janitorial staff — an experience brother Jamie called “a highlight of her life.” She remained heavily involved in both national and international Bahá'í committees and worked throughout the Pacific, holding a deep passion for its people and culture.
Settling in Haumoana: The Red House on Beach Road
Brother Jamie had moved back to Hawke's Bay in the late 1980s, renting a 1940s art deco property at 158 Beach Rd, Haumoana, while working in promotions for local radio station 93FM. “I didn't know a hell of a lot about Haumoana but loved it and loved being in that house. We had some of the best parties with fascinating people visiting,” Jamie recalls.
Margot visited regularly from Auckland, where she was working in graphic design. When the radio station planned to publish a local paper, Jamie asked, “How would you like to come down here and design a whole newspaper?” Margot eagerly agreed: “Sounds amazing, sounds great.”
Margot initially stayed with her parents in Havelock North. Soon after, when an elderly neighbor at 75 Beach Rd was moving to a retirement home, Jamie raised $19,000 to purchase the house, while Margot rented and eventually bought 158 Beach Rd.
Jamie relocated ‘the Noddy House’ — a former NZ Railways portable smoko room — onto the property at the corner of Collison and Beach Rd using a large trailer, eventually securing retrospective council consent after a brief dispute.
When Jamie moved to Rotorua to manage a radio station, Margot purchased 75 Beach Rd from him, eventually painting it its distinctive Pohutukawa red.
Community Advocacy and Kidnappers Escape
From the early 1990s, Margot made herself known as an ardent advocate for the Cape Coast. “She just took to this community. It suited her independent, slightly quirky, creative spirit and her love of nature. It was just a good fit,” says Jamie.
Around 1991, Margot’s graphic design business MM Design expanded significantly. She hired King Andy (Heyward) as an assistant, helping him build his own business alongside hers. Jamie notes that Margot always maintained a strong sense of service, spirituality, and generosity: “Even with graphic design work, which can get competitive, she always felt in service of her clients.”
In the early 2000s, Margot poured her energy into producing the annual Kidnappers Escape publication to promote the Haumoana, Te Awanga, and Clifton area as a haven for tourism, creativity, and local business. “She put so much effort into Kidnappers Escape. She loved the design and was forever getting copy for adverts and trying to get people involved… it really was a labour of love,” Jamie recalls.
When coastal protection group Walking on Water (WOW Inc) was formed in 2009, Margot was a founding member and edited their regular newsletters. She also spent two or three days a week working in EIT's reprographics department as their creative specialist.
Margot loved surfcasting and keeping watch over the ocean. When kahawai and birds created a boil-up, or when dolphins and whales passed by, she would ring her bell or post on social media to let the community know, dropping everything to head down to the shore. She shared a vibrant social circle with neighbours and friends, including art gallery owner Camilla Semper, her sister Ziggy, and the late Maggie Taylor, often meeting for ocean swims year-round.
Later Years and Community Support
A “frequent flyer” at Haumoana Coffee since its opening, Margot was always up for a hug and a chat. As she became increasingly forgetful in recent years, she relocated from her Beach Rd oasis to a rest home in Taradale in late July 2026.
“She could have been in a home much earlier, but that hasn’t been necessary because of the nature of this community. Friends and neighbours have been so incredibly supportive and aware of her,” said Jamie.
Share Your Margot Memories & Get Involved
Do you have a favourite memory of Margot, a story from her surfcasting days, or an old copy of the Kidnappers Escape map? Leave a comment below or send us a message — we’d love to collect your memories and photos to celebrate her legacy!
To stay connected with local initiatives and support the Cape Coast Community Group, visit our website, follow our Facebook page, or reach out to get involved in our upcoming community events.
Comments