Lupin Lodge fails to sell: The Tripod vs The Tide

The news that Lupin Lodge, the iconic Silicon Valley nudist landmark, has officially been withdrawn from the real estate market should have been a moment of triumph for the industry.  Instead, it served as a sobering reality check.  Owner Lori Kay Stout, who fought to keep the 110-acre property from developers, was blunt in her assessment to the Mercury News: the naturist and nudist "industry" is on the wane, both in the United States and globally.

Stout’s use of the word "industry" is telling. It suggests a world of balance sheets, land management, and commercial viability.  Here in New Zealand, this corporate language is mirrored in the offices of the New Zealand Naturist Federation (NZNF), where the focus appears shifted from the joy of the sun to the grit of the ledger.  But as the traditional "landed" clubs struggle to keep the gates open, a new generation of Kiwis is proving that while the industry might be shrinking, the lifestyle is actually expanding — it’s just moving outside the fence.

The Tripod of Doom vs. The Simple Life

In a past editorial for GoNatural, the late NZNF President David Saunders — who championed the movement until his untimely passing in early 2023 — highlighted the heavy lifting required for modern club survival.  He identified the three legs of a "governance tripod" essential for every club’s stability and longevity: a Constitution, Bylaws, and Code of Conduct.

While Saunders saw this as a protective shield against the requirements of the Incorporated Societies Act, for the would-be young naturist, it feels like a "Tripod of Doom."  The lifestyle is being suffocated by its own life-support system.  Clubs are currently bogged down in administrative formalities, AGMs and committee meetings, working bees, debating rule changes and dispute resolution processes – all while the sun is shining outside.

To the outside observer, particularly the younger set, this is where the "lifestyle" gets buried under the "industry."  When the primary focus of a group shifts to setting subscriptions and refining "operational bylaws" for rubbish disposal, the sanctuary feels lost.  It becomes a small-town council – just with better tans!  For the new generation of Kiwis, the question isn’t about the validity of the rules — it’s simpler: "Why do I need a 40-page constitution just to take my clothes off?"

The Structural Standoff

Current NZNF President Alice Law is clearly leaning into the wind, valiantly attempting to champion a surge of interest among the 20s-to-30s demographic.  It’s a necessary mission, and at clubs like the Auckland Outdoor Naturist Club (AONC), "Youth" rates have been slashed to lower the barrier to entry.  But here is the unvarnished truth: attracting a generation is one thing; keeping them inside a "Governance Tripod" is another.

The disconnect isn’t necessarily about the leadership’s intent — it’s about the environment.  For every young person Law manages to bring through the gate, dozens more seem to be bouncing off the "old guard" norms.  Visitors to traditional clubs still frequently report a "terminal decline" atmosphere where the "academic costumes" of committees and operational bylaws stifle the very spontaneity that younger Kiwis crave.

Law is attempting to sell a modern, vibrant lifestyle, but she’s doing it from within spaces that can still feel like "exclusive little paradises" frozen in time.  The demographic shift she’s pushing for is real in spirit, but it’s struggling to take root in soil that is heavily compacted by mid-century social policing, administrative weight, and an antiquated business model.

Nudity as an Option, Not the "Main Event"

Perhaps the most significant shift is how the younger generation chooses to be naked.  For the modern Kiwi who likes to go naked, nudity is rarely "the main event."  They aren't looking for a "Nudist Club" where being naked is the sole purpose of the gathering.

Instead, they are gravitating toward events where nudity is simply a permitted option within a broader cultural experience.  At festivals like Kiwiburn or Splore, at the community-focused Naked in the Trees, or even just a day at the beach with friends, the focus is on the music, the art, or the environment.  The nakedness is secondary — a natural state of being rather than a programmed activity like "Nude Cooking Day."

The Rise of the "Free-Range" Collective

This "option-based" naturism is exactly what groups like Hauraki Naturally have mastered.  By operating as a non-landed collective, they avoid the "Tripod of Doom" that Stout and Saunders describe.  They own no land, charge no fees, and have no committee meetings.

Hauraki Naturally positions itself as the "free-range" alternative.  They advocate for using mainstream public beaches with "due respect" rather than hiding in remote, "known" spots that frequently attract deviant behaviour.  They use optional nudity simply as a catalyst for publicly advertised charity fundraising events, environmental awareness campaigns and various activities where being naked is a simply a viable way to be, rather than the “be all and end all” of the gathering.  By maintaining a respectful buffer zone yet prioritising normalisation over isolation, they are proving that New Zealand is the "second most keen" naturist nation in the world* — not because of its clubs, but because of its coastlines and abundance of wilderness.

The Verdict: Beyond the Fences

Lori Kay Stout’s "waning industry" is real, but it is a decline of structure – not spirit.  In New Zealand, roughly 14% of the population identifies with naturist values, but only a tiny fraction (about 1,200–1,500) are financial members of the NZNF.

The future isn't found in an expensive annual subscription or a perfectly drafted constitution.  It is found in the freedom of choice.  As the "landed" clubs spend their summers in AGMs, the rest of the country is at the beach, proving that you don't need an industry to be natural — you just need the sun and a bit of mutual respect.

* Based on 2023 analysis of Google search data by swimwear brand Pour Moi, New Zealand was ranked the second keenest nation in the world for naturism, based on per capita online searches for "nude beach".