Writers' Trail ~ Nelson/Tasman

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Maurice Gee

A PLAQUE ON A SEAT AT THE BOTANICAL RESERVE RECOGNISES MAURICE GEE’S BOOK THE WORLD AROUND THE CORNER

In September 2012, keen young readers from Tahunanui Primary School’s Room 12 were instrumental in getting a plaque mentioned in a Maurice Gee story placed on a seat at the Botanical Reserve.  

Earlier that year they read Gee’s book The World Around the Corner, which is set in Nelson. The class went for a walk around Nelson in May, visiting settings from the story. In it the main character, Caroline, meets Moon Girl at a seat in the Botanics which has a plaque with the words “Bide a wee”, where she hands over a pair of magic glasses. The class were looking forward to finding the seat, but were disappointed to find there was no plaque on it.

They wrote to the editor of the Nelson Mail saying: “We think the plaque should be on the seat so other children reading the book can also go and look for it, sit on the seat and remember the story.” Nelson City Council took notice, and placed a plaque on the seat. The pupils wrote to Nelson Mail again in a letter dated 13 September 2012, thanking the council for making the “Bide a wee” plaque. They felt a sense of accomplishment to have helped get the plaque installed. “We think it looks fantastic,” they said.

Written by: Chrissie Ward

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               Read about Maurice Gee here

GETTING THERE 

The seat with the “Bide a Wee” plaque is in the Botanical Reserve (the Botanics), the park on the east side of Milton Street. The seat is located at the beginning of the main path leading up to the Centre of New Zealand. It sits beneath a Canary Island Date Palm Phoenix canariensis planted c. 1915.