This plate, which is associated with the Palladium tearooms at Ngāmotu Beach in New Plymouth, was among a collection of assorted ceramics purchased at an auction in Whanganui in 2010. On New Year's Day 1917 when the Palladium had just been opened, Ngamotu beach was grandly billed as " The Playshore of the Pacific " and became Taranaki's favourite beach playground. It's New Year's picnics drew families from far and wide and as public and private transport improved, the Ngamotu beach crowds grew thicker. Ambitious fund raising carnivals began about 1938 and the beach became a top spot for entertainment. Excursion trains used to run from Whangamomona and from South Taranaki and up to 45 school and church picnics were held at the beach annually. A crowd of 25,000 people flocked to the beach in 1941 for a re-enactment of the arrival of the settler ship William Bryan. But from the late 1950s with more cars and more counter-attractions the beach began to suffer. The carnivals declined in popularity and the last was held in 1966.