New Zealand New Brighton, Christchurch

New Brighton beach in Christchurch is a popular spot for sunrise photography with its unobstructed views to the east. You will find at least 1/2 dozen tripods out on a warm weekend morning.
The 300m long pier is the subject for most photos, but living here, you can only have so many photos of it. So I tend to avoid it and slow things down, looking for patterns in the waves.
Not a beach with massive surf, but you will generally find surfers out catching the morning breaks.

Sunrise in summer is around 5am so autumn and spring with their more sociable start times are preferred. The summer sun also rises a fair way to the south so is not directly off shore.
Be prepared to make many trips as chasing sunrises is a subject that requires some persistence.
Always underexpose a sunrise by about a stop to get a bit more colour.
If going for the more abstract look with a bit of ICM (intentional Camera Movement), keep you camera on a tripod, but slow you shutter speed down to about 1/5 of a second and pan the tripod during the exposure. Or really go for the abstract look and crack a full second exposure moving your camera smoothly in one direction during that time.

Plenty of parking with a view of the eastern sky right next to the beach. You can wait for the right moment in the warmth of your car.