You are not going to starve during your day at the beach. With one notable exception, New Brighton makes do with cheap-and-cheerful beachfront cafés and takeaways, but Sumner is well endowed with notable places to dine and drink. You might even want to come out here for the evening, especially considering the #31 bus back to the city runs until gone 11pm.

Celini's , 32 Nyland Rd, Sumner. Bright, bustling and modestly priced café serving a wide range of dishes from Indonesian sweet beef curry and Akaroa smoked salmon salad to Mediterranean vegetable stuffed pita, smoothies and coffee. Licensed and BYO.

Club Bazaar Pizzeria , 15 Wakefield Avenue, Sumner. Bar and elaborate balcony where you can sample cheap pasta dishes and pretty acceptable pizzas in a distinctive atmosphere of Kiwi nostalgia. Licensed.

On the Beach , 25 The Esplanade, Sumner. Excellent seafood dinners served up on the veranda or inside this light and spacious restaurant built out over the sand beside Cave Rock. Prices reflect the location, with mains starting around the $20 mark. Licensed.

Ruptured Duck , 4 Wakefield Ave, Sumner. Pizza palace where a large polystyrene duck watches your every mouthful of such popular favourites as Moroccan lamb and capsicums or pork with kumara - toppings that are an acquired taste but have a cult following. Licensed & BYO.

Waterfront Café & Bar , Marine Parade at the foot of the pier, New Brighton. New café that's become the place for coffee, lunches and dinners such as salmon ravioli ($13) or tempura seafood ($20). Sit inside or out, sheltered from the onshore breeze by glass panels. Licensed.