Sandy Bay jetty (also known as Small's Jetty and Percival's Point Jetty)

The jetty constructed in the heart of Governors Bay in 1874 (the one we now know as the 'long' jetty) was convenient in terms of its central location. For example, it brought visitors to within easy reach of the White Cliffs Hotel, the store and the Ocean View Hotel. However access at low tide was challenging for the steam launches that plied the harbour. So in March 1883 (despite having rejected the location in 1874) the Lyttelton Harbour Board invited tenders for the construction of a jetty at Percevals Point [sic], Governors Bay. I'm guessing there was a lot of politicking sitting in behind this decision!

The new structure was commonly known as 'Small's Jetty', after the Small family who had first settled in Sandy Bay. The point at which the jetty was sited was originally known as Percivals (Percevals) Point and later as Sandy Bay Point. 

The narrow track that now runs from Sandy Bay round to the remaining jetty piles was once a busy official road providing access to the bay for cargo and visitors. When what is now Rowan House in Sandy Bay became home to the Gilpin family in 1914, they turned it into a tearoom and guesthouse. Visitors arriving by launch at Sandy Bay Point would walk up the path from the beach, under the arched whale bones at the entrance to the garden and enjoy scones, meat loaves, sandwiches and soft drinks.

Steamer John Anderson at Small's Jetty [sic] c. 1915. (Coral Atkinson, Murray Radcliffe)

The new jetty was located at point C. Archives NZ

The success of boarding houses such as 'Ellerslie' was a direct consequence of regular jetty access to the head of the harbour. Some families supplemented their income by offering a room or two in their homes to holiday-makers. Visitors who couldn’t afford a hotel or boarding house holiday, or who merely preferred camping out, pitched their tents along the foreshore between the two main jetties. This caused some local angst. In 1909 the Mount Herbert county clerk wrote to the authorities requesting

to have a Constable stationed at Governors Bay for the purpose of regulating the speed of motor traffic, and also preventing depredation of private property, orchards, native bush etc by campers. I would point out that during the last few years, Governors Bay has become a favourite resort for holiday makers and campers. On holiday occasions the Lyttelton launches take up as many as 1000 to 1500 people while quite a large number walk or cycle over the hill from Christchurch, and it must be admitted that among such a large crowd there are always some who are ready to despoil the property of others… (Letter from County Clerk, Mr Field, Mount Herbert County Council Letter Book, 1909, 336. (Murray Radcliffe))

In the 1920s Stanley Radcliffe would put his bike on the train at Heathcote, transfer it onto the John Anderson at Lyttelton, disembark at the Sandy Bay jetty and bike around to see his Aunt Lizzie Harris in Allandale and visit or work with Uncle Bill Harris in the orchard. For school picnics in the 1930s John Allan and his fellow Governors Bay pupils caught a boat to Quail Island from the Sandy Bay jetty. ‘You’d get in there when you couldn’t get into the big one [Governors Bay jetty].’ 

Boat visible at Small's jetty, undated (Coral Atkinson, Gavin Bain)

In November 1935 two lads - James McFaul and James Kevin - walked over the hill from Christchurch to fish at Governors Bay. They fished from the long jetty and then tried their luck at the deeper water jetty at Sandy Bay. James McFaul was walking backwards, unwinding his lines, when he fell off the edge of the jetty. Kevin threw a life-buoy and then jumped in to try and save his friend who was foundering in the rough sea. Despite all efforts, including help from local resident Angus Small, James McFaul died, the coroner returning a verdict of accidental drowning. McFaul's family attempted to sue the Lyttelton Harbour Board because the jetty had been constructed without railings at the end so that cargo could be loaded. As a result of this accident the Sandy Bay jetty was dismantled in 1938. Only the piles remain today.

Sandy Bay jetty in foreground, long jetty centre right, 2015 (Jane Robertson)