John Wilson Ocean Dr could be slowly developed into a world-class seaside "promenade", says Philip Temple.
We went promenading last Sunday morning, along with scores of others, young and old, along with children on bikes, trikes and scooters or in prams. Along with dogs socialising while their owners exchanged notes on breeds, ages and habits. Along with our little poodle, Chloe, ever on for a game of tag and chase, who was described by a passer-by as "like a wind-up toy".
As we strolled along John Wilson Ocean Dr to Lawyers Head, the lush of the golf course rippled out to the city and Flagstaff on our left. On our right we could watch the recurring spectacle of huge breakers cascading in to St Kilda Beach or in foaming collision with the cliffs and rocks of the headland.
The only sounds were relaxed voices or children's shouts punctuating the thunder of the surf. From Lawyers Head itself, we could look northeast to the grand peninsula coast towards Highcliff, or southwest to the Nuggets in the haze, a coastal landscape second to none in the world.
The easy 40-minute return walk allowed about the right amount of time and pace to move with the rhythm of the sea and clouds. It was also about the right length to feel as if we had been for an invigorating walk without stress or difficulty, without commitment of more than an hour or so away from home and garden.
When the road was open, I drove to Lawyers Head perhaps twice in 20 years. Over the past six months, while John Wilson Ocean Dr has been closed to vehicles, we have visited often, making the walk one way via the beach if the tide is right. At last, Dunedin has a genuine seaside promenade of consequence. The St Clair promenade may be attractive but it is limited in scope, dogs are banned and its environment remains dominated by cars.
The contrast between the part of John Wilson Ocean Dr closed to traffic and the section remaining open is stark. The new promenade is a zone free of fumes, disturbance, litter and noise. But in the vicinity of the surf club, by contrast, there is broken glass, dumped beer cartons and cans, burnt rubber on the seal, deposited there by the likes of the boy racer we once witnessed doing "donuts" there.
With the traffic-free John Wilson Ocean Dr, Dunedin has the opportunity to develop a world-class seaside promenade for residents and tourists alike.
One that will also cater for those too aged or infirm to undertake the walk. Improvements could be made incrementally, and at low cost, spread over several years.
Four-sided weatherproof shelters, similar to the virtually bomb-proof shelters that dot the Brighton promenade on the south coast of England, could be placed at intervals in the old parking spaces along the drive. The first could be within a hundred metres of the road bollards for those who cannot walk far.
Perhaps three along the promenade and one on Lawyers Head. Add a few open benches in between. At each shelter and bench, place rubbish bins and doggy-doo bag dispensers similar to those positioned by the Lake Taupo Walkway.
Create another beach access pathway between the bollards and the only current access near Lawyers Head, and so provide the variety of an alternative walk.
There could be more creative planting among the dunes and around the head itself.
To cater for those people unable to walk at all, or to drive their mobility scooters along the promenade, the DCC could establish an arrangement with a service organisation such as Age Concern, allowing for the bollards to be opened at certain times on certain days for mini-buses to take the disabled out to Lawyers Head.
The number of people walking along John Wilson Ocean Dr last Sunday was a vote of confidence in the outdoor exercise we are all being encouraged to take. For the future of a promenade which could become the talk of the country. For a future when everyone could agree we do like to be beside the seaside.
- Philip Temple (72) is a Dunedin author and historian.
