*
Governor's Bay
Banks Peninsula
Christchurch
New Zealand
One day
during the week
of my stay in Christchurch
we packed a picnic
collected my father
from the rest home
and drove to the sea
We made our way
around the side of Lyttelton Harbour
on Bank's Peninsula
Governor's Bay
is nestled in the Port Hills
at the far end of Lyttelton Harbour
twelve miles from the open sea
The small township
of mostly commuters
was named after an early
Governor of New Zealand
George Grey who welcomed
the arriving Canterbury Association Settlers
to this beautiful Southern land
from this spot in 1850
Out in the harbour
from Governor's Bay
you find Quail Island
which was the quarantine station
for dogs and ponies
for the early Antarctic expeditions
Between 1918 and 1925
Quail Island was a leper colony
The hills are often dry
in late summer,
brushed repeatedly
by the hot Nor' west winds
Governor's Bay is a picturesque
and peaceful town
And my father
enjoyed the day's outing
and loved his picnic
*
