I spent a big part of my childhood just about smack in the middle of this screenshot, we lived opposite the carpark, on Marine Parade in New Brighton. We just about lived on the beach for much of the year, the sandhills were a marvelous adventure playground, and when it was warm enough we'd swim all day long. I went to Central New Brighton School, Dux 1969:)
Before we were married, my wife and I rented a little cottage in just about the same location, opposite the car park.
This shows the 'new' pier (the model is unfinished at the moment), but I can remember the old wooden pier -- it was too dilapidated to walk on, and finally demolished when I was 9. Back then, in the 60s, New Brighton was the only place which allowed Saturday shopping, so it was a thriving suburb. It was certainly a vibrant place to be on a Saturday, but when Saturday shopping was allowed elsewhere, New Brighton really suffered. It never recovered, and was hard-hit by the earthquakes. I visited it last November, and it was a real emotional experience, seeing it mostly abandoned and run-down.
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