Riversdale Beach – the Côte d’Azur of the south
In 1953, Masterton tyre tycoon Basil Bodle holidayed with his wife Phyllis in the glamorous Mediterranean beach resort of Cannes. Bodle was so impressed with the town’s “gay and happy colours” that he decided to replicate the festive atmosphere at the Riversdale retirement resort he’d been dreaming about creating. By Simon Burt. Photos by Pete Monk.
Riversdale Beach is a comfortable 45 minute drive east from Masterton today. In 1953 it took several punishing hours on rocky roads and farm tracks. But Basil Bodle was tired of the annoying winds at his Foxton holiday home and his research indicated that this little part of the Wairarapa coast was uniquely protected from the summer nor'wester. It also had four kilometres of white sand and a consistent surf.
Bodle’s idea was that Riversdale Beach would be a sheltered and fun-filled rival to Castlepoint to the north. He bought a 62ha chunk of Riversdale Station and enlisted colleagues and family to help build the infrastructure and amenities necessary for a major subdivision. As the development grew, Basil's son Gary became the main administrator and sales agent. Nearly seventy years on, the Bodle name remains synonymous with Riversdale.
Glen Meredith's family had been farming at Riversdale for a century before the Bodles arrived. Glen now runs 1,300 hectare Orui Station from the grand homestead, enjoying a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean.
Glen says Bodle did a very good job. “There was absolutely nothing here. My father helped with bulldozing sand and creating a tennis court, despite a bit of a falling out between Basil and my grandfather at one point. Basil had a bit of a thing about sheep farmers, he thought we were all bludgers.”
Glen's wife Angie hosts weddings on Orui homestead's manicured lawns, a pair of cabbage trees providing the perfect frame for photos. Angie is also part of the team running Orui Coastal Walk across three neighbouring farms. “Riversdale was one of Wairarapa's secrets,” Angie says, “but not any more.” She says there are now around a hundred permanent residents along the beach, a combination of retirees and young families attracted to the coastal community and nearby Whareama School.
The Riversdale Beach resort was based on Basil Bodle's vision of holidays full of “colour, music and good service.” Bodle’s umbrellas, flags and strings of vivid bunting extended to the pop-up caravan used as the first real estate office. Today, realtor Adrian Denniston’s glistening iron sales kiosk is equally visible at the entrance to the village.
Adrian was born and bred at Riversdale and has raised his family here. He has been selling property here for 16 years. “It's a great place,” he says. “Castlepoint gets all the attention – and it is a stunning spot – but it's built around its beauty, whereas Riversdale is a planned community. You can walk everywhere in Riversdale. It has its own microclimate. Basil did an amazing job setting it up.”
Adrian says sales at Riversdale are strong. “People come here for the lifestyle,” he says. “They have the right attitude. They want to make it even better.”
Basil Bodle was a keen golfer and thought a golf course would be an attraction for his resort, so right at the start he put considerable resources into creating one among the dunes. Current Riversdale Beach Golf Club captain Karen Barbour says membership is a very healthy 300 playing and 200 social members, who make good use of the bar and catering facilities alongside the fairways and greens. Karen is a bit miffed that the nine-hole Riversdale course is not taken more seriously by Wairarapa players. “It’s actually quite a challenge. The greenkeeper has made sure that you need a bit of finesse to get around with a decent score.”
Nearby bach owner Fiona Reid feels she and her husband Paul are in the minority at Riversdale – they don't play golf. Fiona's parents bought the waterfront property 30 years ago after a rare visit to the beach. “Our family had a place at Kāpiti,” Fiona says, “so as kids we were always dragged over there. It seemed like a long way from Hinakura.” For farming folk, Riversdale was a bit like going to town. “Mum and Dad had the golf course, the store and, when they got older, a visiting nurse. They came here every weekend. They loved it.”
Fiona and Paul's own children have enjoyed family holidays closer to their Carterton home. “Riversdale has been an easy place for them,” Fiona says. “We spent time walking, teaching them to ride bikes. Everyone's friendly, there are kids and dogs everywhere, no-one's too precious.” Like many of Wairarapa’s youth, the young Reids did the “Nipper” programme at the Surf Club, and spent time as lifeguards.
A surf lifesaving service was something Basil Bodle, a competitive swimmer, knew was an imperative for the sometimes treacherous Riversdale rips. The Surf Club was formed very early in the resort’s development, and has become the centrepiece of the village. It's the only active surf club in the Wairarapa. In 2015, Riversdale recorded the most rescues carried out by lifeguards in the lower North Island, but maintains a proud record of never having had a drowning “between the flags”.
The Club’s Nipper programme runs almost every day of the summer school holidays. A fun way to learn about water safety, meet other youngsters and gain personal confidence, it attracts literally hundreds of kids. In 2016 a new clubhouse was completed which acts as a base for other emergency services and a facility for community activities. Basil Bodle's son Brian is the Club Patron.
Across the road from the Surf Club, the Riversdale Beach Store still has a retro, kiwiana look, with Tip Top branding and brightly painted cable reel tables. As well as general provisions, the store sells sit-down meals, takeaways and alcohol, and is the information hub for the village.
Proprietors Amy and Hayden Meads have been here for four years. Hayden thinks they were probably the first of a new batch of young families moving in to Riversdale. “We were milking cows nearby,” Hayden says. “We'd been talking about living at the beach, then this opportunity came up. We grabbed it.” Local tradesmen, shepherds, residents and social groups keep the storekeepers busy Monday to Friday, while bach dwellers and day-trippers augment the weekend trade.
Riversdale is sometimes perceived as a haven for well-off Wellingtonians and, perhaps due to the absence of a public camping ground in recent years, has seemingly been bypassed by a section of Wairarapa holidaymakers. But the compact and close-knit seaside community seems to be puffing its chest out. Private accommodation is busy. The sound of nail guns and lawnmowers competes with the surf, even on weekdays. The finishing touches are being put to Mōtūwairaka, a smart new marae for Ngāi Tūmapūhia-ā-Rangi ki Wairarapa. Historic St Joseph's church has been given a major refurbishment by the parishioners. The European car count is reportedly soaring.
Basil Bodle's dream of a perfect Mediterranean-style holiday resort may occasionally be thwarted by the east coast weather, but there is still lots of sun, fun and happiness to be had at Riversdale Beach. And getting there is now one of the nicest drives in the Wairarapa.
