The settlement of Governors Bay is located on Banks Peninsula near the head of Lyttelton Harbour.

Governors Bay is defined by Statistics New Zealand as a rural settlement and covers 3.24 km2 (1.25 sq mi).

The hotel recently dropped its connection with Sir George Grey, a controversial colonial former Governor of New Zealand.

After the 2011 Christchurch earthquakes, the jetty was closed to the public and the Council did not plan to repair it.

The rebuild project started in October 2022 and finished in September 2023 and was managed by the trust.

Damage from the September 2010 quake forced changes to lighten the upper story of the building.

[16] St Cuthbert's Church in Governors Bay Road, built in 1860, is also a Category I building.

[19] The church grounds contain the grave of Mary Elizabeth Small whose story is told in the children’s novel The Runaway Settlers.