Oriental Bay (1st of 2)

Oriental Bay (1st of 2)

Natural cycles of erosion and accretion have seen the beach at Wellington’s Oriental Bay change from rocky boulders to sand. This photograph shows the bay in the 1920s. A concrete sea wall was built to protect the promenade and road, but it also restricted the area of beach, especially at high tide. The beach was first re-nourished in 1944, when about 10,000 tonnes of sand were brought in to make the area more attractive.