New Brighton Beach

Press, Volume CIII, Issue 30636, 30 December 1964, Page 8

New Brighton Beach

The efforts of the New Brighton Pier and Foreshore Promotion Association to restore the pier as a feature of the beach are commendable and ambitious. The association is proceeding with caution, and it is wise not to confine its plans to this rather speculative project. Without diminishing its enthusiasm, the association will do well to keep in mind other ways to improve what must be New Zealand’s finest city beach. The association should not be over-impressed by piers abroad; they cater for a public with different tastes, who travel en masse to spend annual holidays at the seaside in less reliable climates. These ventures have often been devices to help extend a holiday season that would otherwise be too short for the resort business.

The great advantage of New Brighton beach is its extent and the fact that it is virtually unspoilt by the nearness of the city; its improvements need not, therefore, be too sophisticated. They should complement the beach’s natural attractions, which include the sand-hills. Not all the improvements that are obviously desirable are the responsibility of the association. A wider, sealed carriageway along the full length of the foreshore is needed, and the landward side of the dunes would be more attractive if suitable trees could be grown to provide shade and shelter. Playgrounds and restaurant services might be enlarged. Safe swimming in extended areas under surf patrol vigilance would be a good investment. New Brighton’s visitors chiefly want to enjoy abundant sunshine, sea, and sand. If they can have a pier, too, well and good; but that prospect should not limit the association’s vision.