Wandering around the grounds of Mansion House on Kawau Island and strolling over to nearby Ladies' Bay, it was odd to find exotics in amongst the natives.Governor Grey had been the Governor of South Australia before arriving in New Zealand and his two terms as Governor in New Zealand fell either side of a spell as the Governor of Cape Colony (now part of South Africa). Perhaps this was why he was such a keen collector of plants and animals.
According to the Department of Conservation, which now cares for Mansion House and the surrounding land, his gardens included olives, cork trees, spider lilies, loquats, custard apples, almonds, pineapples and cinnamon. Sadly for the native species, Governor Grey also introduced exotic animals, and Kawau Island is still home to peacocks, wallabies and kookaburras. Fortunately for the locals, the zebras and monkeys are long gone.
