One of the great pleasures of living in New Brighton, is getting out in the weekends and after work, with so many options to relax and unwind.
As the chair of the New Brighton Residents Association, we do our bit to promote our beach/pier/pools and talk a lot about the central area, but after cycle rides along the stretch of beach between Waimairi and Southshore, realise Pegasus Bay is the beach, and to bike along it’s length is a stunning experience.
It is a reminder of how the coastal area is bound up in one phrase, an amazing place. Recently I set off from the almost completed impressive New Brighton surf club on a blue sky and calm day, and it is quickly evident how much the beach is used in the height of winter. Hundreds of people walking or running along the beach and dunes or cycling along the coastal track.
Pedalling northwards along the flat wide beach, the landscape changes where storms have eaten into the sand banks and created mini cliff faces, and the sun lit landmark buildings along the way act as a sign post guide to where you are on your ride.
These include the North Brighton Community centre and the iconic North Beach, Waimairi and Spencer Park surf clubs.
There are children on ponies, wind surfers, colourful kites and powered hang gliders, and nearing the river mouth, the amount of woody debris increases along the sand dune fringe and great piles line the banks of the Waimakariri’s recent flood surge.
So much to experience along this 18km white pristine seascape from here to the Southshore spit.