It's amazing to see how quickly the sand has built out at Caroline Bay since the breakwater at the Port was constructed in the 1880s. Before that, the sea lapped up to the bottom of the cliffs.
This is pretty close to the Tearooms and where the new playground is being constructed, except look how close the sea was to the cliffs back 129 years ago!
In this 1894 photo by William Ferrier, you can see bathing carts on Timaru's new Caroline Bay. People used carts moved by horses to get changed inside. And at one point they even backed into the sea, so ladies could keep their modesty while bathing. Interesting to see who has taken advantage of the advertising opportunity and sign written the carts.

Photo was Published In The New Zealand Graphic and Ladies Journal, 6 January 1894, p.1
Auckland Libraries Heritage Collections NZG-18940106-0001-02

This detailed etching from 1923 shows a familiar view looking out over Caroline Bay. To the left is the Bay Hall built in 1914 which is still recognisable today. The cannon in the foreground was one of two cannons from the Crimean War (1853-56) that once stood either side of the Caroline Bay Sound Shell. In 1941 both cannons were melted down as scrap metal to be reused in World War II. A.J. RAE (1885-1971) Caroline Bay (1923). Etching on paper. Courtesy of Aigantighe Art Gallery.

The construction of the Port also changed the coastline, growing the stony South Beach and Evans Bay and forming the new sandy Caroline Bay.

The borough council leased the new foreshore from the harbour board in 1902 and created a European-style beach resort. Tea rooms, a hot-water swimming pool and a band rotunda were built. A ‘sound shell’ for concerts replaced the rotunda in 1937. Later, a piazza was built to improve access to the bay from the top of Bay Hill. Christmas carnivals have been held at Caroline Bay since 1911, attracting thousands.

This is is the only sandy beach between Oamaru and Banks Peninsula. In 2020, the area the beach extends is 34 hectares.

Left: The Esplanade, Caroline Bay, Timaru, circa 1900, Melbourne, by George Rose. Purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (O.022112)

Right: Caroline Bay, Timaru, New Zealand, circa 1900, Melbourne, by George Rose. Purchased 1991. Te Papa (O.004821)

Caroline Bay, Timaru, 1900s, Dunedin, by Muir & Moodie. Te Papa (C.014386) 

1910 - Scene at Caroline Bay, Timaru, near the beach with [bowling green ?] Photograph taken by an unidentified photographer employed or contracted by 'The Press' newspaper of Christchurch. Tiaki IRN: 692896. Tiaki Reference Number: 1/1-008906-G692896. Tiaki Reference Number: 1/1-008906-G

Caroline Bay and Express Train, Timaru, 1912, Timaru, by Muir & Moodie studio. Image purchased 1998 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (PS.001034)

Beach at Timaru, Timaru, by Burton Brothers studio. Te Papa (O.019251)

 Caroline Bay, Timaru, 1920s, Timaru, by Havelock Williams. Image purchased 1999 with New Zealand Lottery Grants Board funds. Te Papa (O.020793)

1936 - Shows a woman in a bathing costume leaping across in front of a background scene of Caroline Bay beach, Timaru. The beach is crowded with swimmers and sunbathers. In the right distance some ships are docked at the port. New Zealand Railways. Publicity Branch: Timaru by the sea / Railways Studios [1936-1937]. Tiaki IRN: 377328. Tiaki Reference Number: Eph-E-TOURISM-1937-01377328. Tiaki Reference Number: Eph-E-TOURISM-1937-01

Timaruvian, Nature's Gift to Timaru: Story of Caroline Bay (1950s?). Aoraki Heritage Collection, accessed 23/06/2023, https://aorakiheritage.recollect.co.nz/nodes/view/363