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Story: Beach culture

The encircling sea

Video file

The idea of the beach as the essence of the good life is portrayed in this National Film Unit short film from 1952.

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Archives New Zealand - Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga

Reference: The Encircling Sea. National Film Unit, 1952

Permission of Archives New Zealand Te Rua Mahara o te Kāwanatanga must be obtained before any re-use of this material.

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How to cite this page

Jock Phillips, Beach culture – The Kiwi dream, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/video/46/the-encircling-sea (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Jock Phillips, published 2 March 2009.