Story: Coastal erosion

Oriental Bay (1st of 2)

Oriental Bay

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.

Using this item

Alexander Turnbull Library, Evening Post Collection (PAColl-0614)
Reference: PAColl-8557-18

Permission of the Alexander Turnbull Library, National Library of New Zealand, Te Puna Mātauranga o Aotearoa, must be obtained before any re-use of this image.

All images & media in this story

How to cite this page:

Willem de Lange, 'Coastal erosion - People, houses, and managing erosion', Te Ara - the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, http://www.TeAra.govt.nz/en/photograph/6354/oriental-bay (accessed 20 April 2024)

Story by Willem de Lange, published 12 Jun 2006