Nicknamed "the Riviera of the South" across the world as well as locally, It has the closest beach to the central city and is thus a common destination for locals and visitors to Wellington alike, who swarm here especially in the warmer months (December to March). Painted ladies and other historic houses, such as those in distinctly Wellingtonian streamline moderne style, are promiment alongside and up into the hills that face the bay. Situated against the northern slope of Mount Victoria, the suburb lies 1.5 kilometres southeast of the city centre, at the start of a coastal route which continues past Hataitai around Evans Bay. Originally named Duppa Bay, after its sole original resident George Duppa, in 1843 it was rechristened after one of the first ships to bring settlers to Wellington- the Oriental. Originally described as a remote "dreary-looking spot" of rocks lying between cliffs and the sea used primarily for quarantining foreigners, it has undergone considerable renovation since colonisation's early stages. Many landmarks were built over the 20th century, such as the grand streamlined moderne houses like the Olympus building and the Anscombe Apartments, and the modernist Freyberg pool built in the 1960s (which jets out onto the harbour and is named about Lord Freyberg, who adored the beach as a young man). However, the beach's greatest renovation came in 2004, when 22,000 tonnes of sand was shipped especially from Golden Bay to rebuild the beach, which had become worn down over many years.