Five of the best beach bag essentials

Make sure you have these five essential items in your beach bag this summer. Photo / Thinkstock

1: Towel

As big and as plush as you can get. We love this cool round Aztec towel from The Beach People ($140, mildredandco.com). At 150cm in diameter, this fringed beauty is big enough to fit two people, or one with plenty of room to move.

2: Sunblock

Slathering SPF50+ all over your body is a no-brainer. We love the ease of a spray like this Ultra Beach Protect Sunscreen by Nivea ($23.49). It's easy to apply, quick to dry and is water resistant for four hours.

Nivea Ultra Beach Protect Sunscreen.

3: Face + Lip protection

Treat your face to some special sun protection of its own. Dermalogica's Solar Defence Booster SPF50 ($84) releases an active ingredient complex of Vitamin C and E for maximum free-radical protection. Reapply as often as you like (on top of makeup if you've applied) - this product isn't greasy at all.

For your lips, we want to make sure you're using something with an SPF rather than a gloss or balm. A thrifty stick of Blistex Five Way Lip Protection ($5.95) will heal, hydrate and protect, no matter what seaside activity you're up to.

Dermalogica Solar Defence Booster SPF50 and Blistex Five Way Lip Protection.

4: Hat

Get some hip headwear to protect your noggin and shield your face. We're loving the collection at Witchery this summer - from straw hats to caps and visors. We can't decide between the St Barths Hat ($64.90), the Classic Panama ($64.90) and the top-knot friendly Reptile Visor ($34.90).

Top left-right: St Barths Hat, the Classic Panama. Bottom: the Reptile Visor.

5: Reading material

Page-turning by the sea spells a blissful summer Sunday. Pack a copy of the Herald on Sunday (and a pen for the crossword) or find some recommended reading material to add to your kit. I've just finished Lena Dunham's Not that Kind of Girl and couldn't put it down.

Read our previous Five of the Best columns to prepare you for summer:

• Auckland: Five of the best spots to watch the sunset
• Five of the best bits for a barbecue
• Five of the best roadtripping essentials