SEVEN MILES OF BEACH

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 101, 15 December 1939, Page 6 (Supplement)

SEVEN MILES OF BEACH

BEAUTIFUL OHOPE'S SILVER STRAND SUMMER VISITORS' PARADISE WHAKATANE'S ASSET AND HERITAGE "Throned in my heart is Ohope's strand Kissed by the sunlit Northern Sea No words are made that can command, A song to paint her scenery." To the visitor Ohope represents all that comprises the ideal holiday resort. Endless stretches of shining silver sand, shady dills ol' overhanging pohutukawa fringed with glowing red blossom, whitecrested combers breaking in steady procession on the hard level shelf "which goes to make the beach the safest in the North Island for bathing. To the hard headed Whakatanian, the beach has become all too familiar. In many instances its subtle beauty and charm are completely overlooked in the search of excitement, pleasure and that 'something fresh' which haunts the modernist with unrelenting zeal. The beach, is however an asset beyond price to the town 'over the hill' and its seven miles of dazzling white sand backed by the green verdure of the cliffs which make up the background, are a source of neverending charm and attraction to I lie thousands ol visitors from Rotorua, Auckland and the Waikato, who make the annual pilgrimage to the finest seaside resort of the Bay of Plenty.

Permanent Population. The story of Ohope Beach is one of serried history. The hundreds of gleaming cottages and homes which cover its foreshore, are all of comparatively recent construction. Less than ten years ago it was possible to count the number of residences there on two hands. To-day there are no Tess than live hundred permanent residents, and a summei population which ranges between 1-SOO and 2000. The transformation was brought about by the sudden awakening of the motor conscious public that here was a resort, of a magnitude and beauty beyond compare, even in God's own countiy. The construction of the new access road through the zig-zag of the bush reserve completed the picture and Ohope as a recognised beach and summer holiday centre became an established fact. Rush for Sections. The cutting up of the sections on the fertile levels at the foot of the tall cliffs commenced when the only means of access was still via tire Wainui Road, and the initial demand was 'slow'. The move however was sufficient to bring in the enthusiastic visitors who coming from far and near joined in proclaiming the beach and announcing its unique attractions to the North Island generally. And so the rush set in. Ohope sections were scrambled for. Speculators turned over money again and again. To-day there is not one of the original sections still offering and many of them have changed hands a dozen times. To-day Ohope is a picture oT progress and prosperity, demanding full attention and administrative ability >f the Whakatanc County Council, under which body it has grown from a few scattered hutments to the thriving resort it now is.