Part #2 – Napier
After Wellington, we then pack up and travel to Napier via Martinborough, home to over 20 wineries and a picturesque village.
Napier is known as the Art Deco Capital of the world. We are in Napier for 3 nights and Sue and Caz will join us here.
Following a massive earthquake (7.9 on the Richter scale) on the morning of Tuesday 3 February 1931, fires destroyed most of the commercial heart of Napier. The city was rebuilt in the style of that era and by the end of the decade Napier was the newest city on the globe.
Nowhere else can you see such a variety of buildings in the styles of the 1930s – Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission, and above all Art Deco, the style of the 20th Century. Napier’s Art Deco is unique, with Maori motifs and the buildings of Louis Hay, admirer of the great Frank Lloyd Wright.
We will stock up on golf balls and tackle the legendary Cape Kidnappers – see No Laying up review of Cape Kidnappers (go to 8:09 on video timeline).
Napier looks like a really cool place, lots of wineries, cycle tracks and whilst we are there it is the Art Deco Festival, this is going to make for some tough decisions on what to pack in whilst we are there. Below is the highlights video of 2020 festival, just in case you want to dress up and feature in 2022 highlights video. The tandem bike looks fun!
Some websites and things that may wet your appetite for exploring – or you just mooch and chill with your boater hat in Napier.
- Hawkes Bay Bike Trails
- Te Mata Peak – gives 360° views of Hawke’s Bay
- Walks and Trails – there are plenty to chose from
- Shopping – Just for Jen, head to Havelock North, a village boasting diverse boutique shopping
DUE TO THE CLOSING OF CAPE KIDNAPPERS – THIS PAST OF THE TRIP HAS BEEN CHANGED