Part #2 – Napier Take 2
After Wellington, we then pack up and travel to Napier via Martinborough, home to over 20 wineries and a picturesque village. You can choose whether you want to spend the day exploring more of Wellington or leave early and spend more time in Napier.
Napier is known as the Art Deco Capital of the world. We are in Napier for 3 nights and what a crazy three nights it is going to be.
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, an admirer of the great Frank Lloyd Wright.
And…. We are there for the Art Deco Festival. So bring your best 20’s outfits, practice your flapper dance and get your boogie on!
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 of course the Art Deco festival. Below is the highlights video of 2022 festival, just in case you want to dress up and feature in 2023 highlights video.
Some websites and things may whet 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 – head to Havelock North, a village boasting diverse boutique shopping
The Art Deco Festival Program can be viewed and downloaded here.
Caz, if John wanted to join us for the weekend, we have a 3-bedroom house, and he is more than welcome.