New Brighton: Canterbury's Playground

New Brighton: Canterbury's Playground Published by the New Brighton Publicity Committee, its objective was to call attention to the many attractions of New brighton as a Seaside and Health Resort. There were picture theatres, a recreation hall, hot salt water baths- all things you wished for at the wishing tree, in fact. Goes to show that things haven't changed much at all! This lovely booklet mentions that New Brighton beach is often referred to as the finest in the Southern Hemisphere-

the smoothness and fineness of the sand, the great length of uninterrupted promenade

If you browse further there are photos of The Stadium (which we now refer to as either the Sound Shell, or amphitheatre) and of course, the original pier. There were two New Brighton tram services, the number 5 -direct route, and the number 10 -Burwood route. I'd love to see better transport options for Brighton folk- wouldn't the old cinema site be ideal for a bus exchange? Shelter from the elements for both drivers and passengers, safety for late night travellers... Why not dream a little further and imagine it as en electric bus exchange ~ the technology's there! I love reminiscing, I often feel it lets me dream in both directions- possibilities for the future, too.