The Sign of the Kiwi, originally called Toll House, is a small café and shop at Dyers Pass on the road between Christchurch and Governors Bay. It was built in 1916–17 by Harry Ell as a staging post and opened as a tearoom and rest house. It has a Category I heritage classification by Heritage New Zealand and is a popular destination for tourists and locals alike. The building was closed some time after the 22 February 2011 Christchurch earthquake and did not open again until 23 January 2017, six years later. Although located within the burned area, the building was not damaged by the 2017 Port Hills fires a month later.

Historical context

Harry Ell in October 1914
Harry Ell was a Member of Parliament (1899–1919) and a Christchurch City Councillor (1903 and 1917–1919). He devoted much of his life to the conservation of bush remnants on the Port Hills on Banks Peninsula, and a key element in his scheme was to make the area accessible to the public. To that end, he proposed a Summit Road that would go along the hilltops, connecting Godley Head with the tops above Akaroa. Whilst most of the public believed that the scenic reserves to be formed were too remote, Ell had a way with landowners and organised some government funding. His usual style was to pay a deposit for land, with the remainder to be raised later. In 1909, he decided to form a Summit Road Scenic Reserve Board to help with the task of establishing his dream, but there was tension over their scope. The board wanted to have influence on policy, but Ell regarded them as a mere fund-raising body. By 1915, Ell had secured 23 reserves in the Port Hills by buying private land, and none of these projects had the board's prior approval.

By the 1930s, the road had been surveyed as far south as the saddle above Pigeon Bay.

Rest houses were envisaged at regular intervals. The first to be built was the Sign of the Bellbird at Kennedy's Bush in 1914. This was the location of the first scenic reserve that Ell managed to get established in 1906. The Sign of the Packhorse, a smaller house on top of the Kaituna Saddle, was the second one to be established in 1916. The Sign of the Kiwi was the third rest house built by Ell. The Sign of the Takahe was the remaining house to be built.
What is the sign of the kiwi
Originally called Toll House, The Sign of the Kiwi is a small cafe and shop on Dyers Pass between Christchurch and Governors Bay. The building was closed sometime after February 22, 2011, Christchurch earthquake and was reopened on January 23, 2017, six years later.

Harry Ell was a Member of Parliament and Christchurch City Councilor. He devoted most of his life to preserving the scrub remnants of Port Hills on the Banks Peninsula, and one of the critical elements of his plan was to make the area accessible to the public. While most people believed that the natural reserves to be created were far away, Ell had a way with the landowners and organized some government funds. In 1909, he decided to make a Summit Road Scenic Conservation Board to aid in his mission to fulfill his dream, but there needed to be more tension over their scope.