Beach Culture and Bathing Costumes

Swimming in Tauranga harbour, circa 1910s: From left to right, Rennie Daines, Connie Humphreys, Mamey Hesket, Rennie Hesket. Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Photo 04-041

While it may be the dead of winter, the importance of beach culture to our city’s identity has been on my mind. Happily, the TaurangaHeritage Collection has a fantastic array of artifacts connected to long hot summer days spent at the beach, from parasols and skurfing boards to picnic baskets and Q-tol.

Indeed, our collection of eighty-three bathing costumes, spanning more than 100 years, highlights innovation in materials and design as well as changing attitudes around what we are willing to expose to the sun, and each other. While Victorian morals had swimmers completely covered, and often in tents or bathing machines, by the 1910s Edwardians were seeking more practical costumes which would allow for movement, and fun, in the water. The push for more freedom was championed by celebrities such as Annette Kellermann, a professional Australian swimmer and diver credited with being the first woman to wear a one-piece suit.

Left: A ‘Petone’ Canadian style swimsuit made in New Zealand. Tauranga Heritage Collection 0044/12. Right: Postcard of "Miss Annette Kellermann, Champion Lady Swimmer and Diver of the World." Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0095/23

Known in this part of the world as a ‘Canadian’ swimsuit, presumably after its country of origin, the costume seen above was made by the Wellington Woollen Manufacturing Company and sold under the brand ‘Petone’. This style was worn by men, women and children and simplified earlier bathing costumes. Often made from machine-knitted cotton, this suit is woollen and has two buttons along the shoulder line to make it possible to get into (the shorts are attached to the top), and a small label declares that it is ‘OS’ or one size.

Left: ‘Pacific’ swimsuit. Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0385/87. Right: Kitty Hardy (centre) with two companions at the main Mount beach circa 1920s. Borrell Collection, Tauranga Heritage Collection

Other New Zealand textile manufacturers also entered the swimwear market in the 1910s. Lane, Walker Rudkin Ltd, who up until the early 2000s was one of New Zealand’s most successful clothing companies, is well represented in our collection. Initially known for its ‘Pacific’ brand, the company went on to make swimsuits under their ‘Canterbury’ label and were also licenced to make ‘Speedo’ and ‘Catalina’. In the 1930s they pioneered the use of elasticised woollen fabrics and were quick to capitalise on the trend of men baring their torsos.

Left: Speedo bathing trunks. Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0015/00. Right: Standing in shallow water at Mount main beach from left, Ira Taylor (wearing Speedo), Yvonne Tootell, Alectina Gunn, Barry Tootell and Monty Tootell circa 1940-41. Arabin Collection, Tauranga Heritage Collection

In the 1930s and 40s new fabrics were introduced, sleeves disappeared, and the two-piece reappeared having first been worn in ancient Rome. Swimsuits in vibrant colours were produced and sold with matching rubber caps. The American label ‘Jantzen’, licenced to New Zealand company A. J. Coleman Ltd, transported Hollywood trends to our beaches with stars Ginger Rogers and Loretta Young featured in their 1930s advertisements.

Left: A green Jantzen suit made of tufted cotton, also known as chenille, featuring adjustable straps. Middle: This suit has “Shouldaire” technology which allowed the wearer to drop their shoulder straps for ‘strap-free tanning’ - it was controversial when launched by Jantzen in 1931. Right: A bright red woollen Roslyn suit. Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0071/18, 0268/11, 0060/93

Post WW2, achieving the right look was often more important than a swimsuit’s practicality or even durability. Boning, firm bra cups, and rubber lining were deployed to give the wearer an hourglass shape. The Princess Bathing Suit, which generally had a sweetheart neckline and a tight skirt covering the front, and sometimes the back, epitomised the glamourous style of the 1950s.

Left: This striped suit was designed to highlight the wearers femininity and features ruching, a synched waist, and removable straps for sunbathing. Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0021/08. Right: ‘Bathing beauties on the beach’ Matakana Island, circa 1950s. Te Ao Mārama - Tauranga City Libraries, Pae Korokī Photo 01-334

Bikini clad sun-bathers on the main Mount beach. Neal Collection, Tauranga Heritage Collection

The 1960s saw the explosion of youth and surf culture which pushed for change. The bikini began to outsell the two-piece, with ‘Bond-girl’ Ursula Andress and magazines such as Sports Illustrated playing their part in its popularity. Men’s swimwear also shrank with ‘briefs’ making an appearance at the 1972 Olympic games. During the 1970s swimwear designers finally let go any inhibitions and embraced the benefits of Lycra - a relatively new fabric that allowed everything to stay in place. String bikinis, thongs, shear fabric and cut-outs were increasingly popular as ‘sexy’ became fashionable. 

Left: Expozay bikini. Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0014/00. Right: Emroce 'G's up She's in it' bikini. Tauranga Heritage Collection, 0164/23/1-2

In 1976, locals Judy and Tony Alvos were inspired to start their own swimwear company, Expozay, which embodied this spirit. By 1982 their designs were being exported around the world and the company employed 120 people, making over 1000 swimsuits a day – right here in Tauranga. Today the local swimwear industry continues with businesses such as Papamoa based Emroce garnering international attention with its focus on eco-conscious design and fabrics, as well as inclusivity. In 2023 we were delighted to add several of Emroce’s swimsuits to our collection.

A Collection of Old Tosh

Newspaper supplements have been described as ‘unashamed collections of old tosh cobbled together to make money for publishers.’ [i]  And they have indeed been used to boost newspaper sales. In the 1890s William Hearst, owner of America’s largest newspaper chain and media company Hearst Communications, put sheet music in his Sunday papers to cash in on the growing interest in popular music.[ii] 

Sheet music printed by W. R. Hearst as a supplement to The Examiner on 16 Feb 1896
Irish Sheet Music Archives

In contrast, newspaper owners such as Alfred Harmsworth believed supplements could enhance a paper’s reputation. In 1908, due to Harmsworth’s popularist and sometimes controversial reputation, concerns were raised regarding his acquisition of The Times. To counter this Harmsworth printed more than 91 supplements focusing on the ‘serious’ subjects of geography and politics.[iii]

Closer to home, subscribers to the Bay of Plenty Times (BOPT) were familiar with the inclusion of supplements having first made their appearance on 9 May 1877 - readers were presented ‘with a gratis supplement containing two maps of the immediate theatre of the War in the East’ (Russo-Turkish War 1877-1878).[iv] In 1879 the new owner, George Vesey Stewart, discontinued the weekly supplement with the promise  that the ‘production of one of a superior character’ would follow.[v] In 1881 a monthly supplement did reappear focusing on local and national politics, news, and opinion - topics close to Stewart’s heart.

The first illustrated supplement in the BOPT was printed in June 1887 – during the appearance of several rival local papers.[vi] The supplement, celebrating Queen Victoria’s Jubilee, consisted of two pages of litho portraits of the royal family:

‘There will be published on Wednesday 22^nd Inst., an Illustrated Supplement to the Bay of Plenty Times. No resident of Tauranga should lose this opportunity of obtaining a permanent memento of the event. Only a limited number will be printed. Send in your orders for the extra copies required’. [vii]

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XV, Issue 2153, 22 June 1887, page 2

With the arrival of a new owner in 1888, supplements designed to promote the district’s businesses and attractions began to appear. Such publicity was desperately needed as the depression of the 1880s hit Tauranga hard. In A History of Tauranga County Evelyn Stokes remarks that despite a shortage of money in the district ‘there was no lack of enterprise’ amongst its inhabitants [viii]. This is reflected in a supplement printed in August 1888 which proclaims, amongst other things, that Tauranga is ‘the paradise of small capitalists’ and ‘the great sanatorium of the Britain of the south.’ 

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XV, Issue 2318, 10 August 1888, Page 3 (Supplement)

In June 1924 the BOPT published a two-section supplement commemorating the opening of the ‘Railway Bridge across Tauranga Harbour and the commencement of a regular train service connecting the Eastern Districts of the Bay of Plenty with the Principal Town’. The twenty-page supplement promoted Tauranga as a great place to live and even included a long list of the town’s wonders. Here is a snippet of what it said the town had to offer. It’s up to you to decide if it is tosh or not!

1. Tauranga harbour has no bar - lowest depth 19 feet at low spring tides.
2. Tauranga has the mildest winter in New Zealand.
3. Tauranga district has fine old Maori fortifications in many places.
4. “Tauranga is the place for you” says every doctor who knows it.
5. Tauranga is the base from which to reach the finest deep-sea fishing grounds in the world.
6. Tauranga is the economical distributing point for the Bay of Plenty.
7. Tauranga has one of the finest town halls outside the cities.
8. Tauranga has a high-pressure supply of the purest water.
9. Tauranga has a good drainage system over the principal portion of the town.
10. Tauranga’s climate is without compare in New Zealand.
11. Tauranga harbour can be entered in all weathers and provides perfect shelter.
12. Tauranga is the only natural East Coast harbour between Auckland and Wellington.
13. Tauranga sends more eggs to market than any other country centre in the province.
14. Tauranga grows lemons better than are grown elsewhere - soil and climate ideal.
15. Tauranga leads New Zealand in electrical development for domestic purposes.
16. Tauranga has ideal beaches for bathing.
17. Tauranga is now connected by railway with the eastern Bay of Plenty districts as far as Whakatane.
18. Tauranga is a picnicker’s paradise - the harbour abounds in attractive camping grounds.
19. Tauranga can be reached by motor car run of a few hours from Waihi, Matamata or Rotorua.
20. Tauranga provides the collector with the best seashells in New Zealand.
21. Tauranga has good game shooting - pheasants, quail, hares, and ducks.
22. Tauranga has surf-bathing equal to the best, and safer.
23. Tauranga has 25 miles of land locked harbour for boating and fishing.
24. Tauranga has an old military cemetery of great historic interest.

Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LII, Issue 8616, 13 June 1924, Page 7
Image courtesy of Tauranga City Libraries.

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[i] Alan Geere, Supplements, In Publishing (2010) https://www.inpublishing.co.uk/articles/supplements-1682

[ii] https://irishsheetmusicarchives.com/History/Sunday-Newspaper-Supplements.htm

[iii] Peter O’Connor & Peter Robinson, The Times Supplements, 1910-1917 https://brill.com/fileasset/downloads_products/The_Times_Supplements_background_article.pdf

[iv] https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/BOPT18770509.2.16.1?items_per_page=10&page=3&phrase=2&query=supplement&snippet=true&sort_by=byDA&title=BOPT

[v] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume IX, Issue 927, 21 August 1880, page 2.

[vi] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 14460, 4 September 1947, page 2.

[vii] Bay of Plenty Times, Volume XV, Issue 2152, 17 June 1887, page 2.

[viii] Evelyn Stokes, A History of Tauranga County, page 259.