Oriental Bay

Our neighbourhood

Oriental Bay is a bay and suburb of Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. Noted for being both a popular beach and a luxurious centre of affluence in the city. It is located close to the Central Business District on Wellington Harbour.

It has the closest beach to the central city and is thus a common destination for locals, who swarm here especially in the warmer months (December to March). The “Painted Ladies” and other historic houses, such as those in the distinctly Wellingtonian streamlined moderne style, are prominent arund the bay and up into the hills that face the bay. Situated against the northern slope of Mount Victoria, the suburb lies 1.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre, at the start of a coastal route that continues past Hataitai around Evans Bay. Originally named Duppa Bay, after its sole original resident George Duppa, in 1843 it was rechristened after one of the first ships to bring settlers to Wellington – the Oriental.

Find out more about Oriental Bay by visiting the Oriental Bay Ratepayers Association.

Originally described as a remote “dreary-looking spot” of rocks lying between cliffs and the sea used primarily for quarantining foreigners, it has undergone considerable renovation since colonisation’s early stages. Many landmarks were built over the 20th century, such as the grand streamlined moderne houses like the Olympus building and the Anscombe Apartments, and the modernist Freyberg pool built in the 1960s (which jets out onto the harbour and is named after Lord Freyberg, who adored the beach as a young man). The beach’s greatest renovation came in 2004, when 22,000 tonnes of sand was shipped from Golden Bay to rebuild the beach with white sand .

In the summer months, Oriental Bay becomes a hive of activity with swimmers, sunbathers, and families. The Carter Fountain is a distinctive feature in the Bay. A small section of the bay that lies beside Freyberg pool is known as Freyberg Bay, after Lord Freyberg.

Oriental Bay statistical area covers 0.30 square km2. It had an estimated population of 1,480 as of June 2021, with a population density of 4,933 people per square km.

Source: Wikipedia