As we arrive in Napier the sun is shining and we drive along the seafront and find somewhere to stay. It is a lovely place, with a long seafront with Norfolk Pines all the way along. If you don't know, Napier was destroyed by an earthquake and subsequent fires that swept through the town in 1931. It was decided that it was a great opportunity to remodel the City to enhance it. Streets were widened, all cables were buried under the streets, and the buildings that were designed and built were of the period and that was Art Deco with some Spanish mission, with flurries of Art Neuvo here and there. They also had an increased coastline and the inland swamps had been displaced by 2m of new ground, giving them more room to build gardens, roller skate rink and houses and businesses.
With this in mind we took a guided walk around the city with the Art Deco Trust. The trust was created to preserve the unique features and buildings of the city. Every year they have an Art Deco Weekend in February and the town is filled with vintage cars, bands, everyone dressed up in the clothes of that era. It was really interesting walking around the City and admiring the great buildings and Art Deco features pointed out.
Photos to follow.....
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