Van Der Geest wrote short stories when he was a child before attending a maritime school on his home island. He graduated as a first helmsman, and spent the following years as a mate on ocean-going vessels. He began writing again whilst at sea, publishing stories in magazines, and his writings may have contributed to his being fired during the 1933 HMNLS Zeven Provincien mutiny. He published his first novel, Eiland in de branding, in 1937. Van Der Geest wrote children's stories for the Hague Post and other magazines when World War II began, but his wartime activities called a halt to his writing. In 1946 he began working for a publisher and writing again, continuing until his death in 1964. His 1949 novel Gezegend is het land won the 1950 DA Thieme prize.
Van Der Geest was known for his 44 children's novels, which, along with his other works, were translated into French, German, Afrikaans, Czech, Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish, Danish and Polish. As far as is known, only one of his books has Australian content, the novel Achter Stampende Hoeven: Tom Hoekstra als veedrijver in Australie [1954]. There is no evidence that the author ever visited or lived in Australia.
