Story: Coastal erosion
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.
About this item
Alexander Turnbull Library
Reference: PAColl-8557-18
Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Matauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.