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.