Displaced Reader – Across the bay

This week they let me out of school early to follow the Displaced Reader on her ongoing  journey to libraries far and wide.

And what a treat!  We started at Lyttelton library (read about our visit here), then skipped across to Diamond Harbour.  It was to have been a nautical jaunt (10 minutes in the ferry, and there’s even a discount for Metrocard holders), but owing to a slight mix-up with expectations about queues and where to wait for ferries, it became a road trip.  Just as good, really, although slightly less damp, and with fewer dolphins.  The weather was gorgeous, the scenery typically beautiful Banks Peninsula, and we passed heaps of interesting places on the way.  If we’d had time, we could have stopped at cafes, pubs, little beaches, Taunton Gardens, Orton Bradley Park, and any number of scenic lookouts.

The road was almost empty, and with little sign of damage from the quake we arrived at Diamond Harbour less than 40 minutes after leaving Lyttelton.  And oh! what a tragedy – 20 minutes until the library opened forced us to stop in at the shop for the biggest icecreams we’ve ever seen.  Sitting in the winter sunshine, looking out over the bay, life felt pretty good.

Dead on 2pm the library opened its doors, and within seconds was full of happy preschoolers and their mums for storytime.  The library is small but well-proportioned, and as with all the branches we’ve been to, full of books and DVDs I swear I’ve not seen before – how does that work?  We chatted to the friendly staff, perused the shelves, checked out a title or two, patted the dogs waiting patiently outside, and set off home again. Some happy snaps were taken to record the day.

I’d thoroughly recommend Diamond Harbour library for  a day out – sun, sea, icecreams and a friendly welcome at the end.  And next time I’m definitely taking the ferry.