Napier

On Tuesday 3 February 1931 Napier, in common with most of the Hawke's Bay district, suffered a disastrous earthquake 2.5 minutes in length. The earthquake rocked the town almost totally levelling all buildings in the inner city, killing 162 people (a total of 258 in the Hawke's Bay area), and raising some areas of land by as much as 8 feet. Some 4,000 hectares of sea-bed became dry land and today this sites not only the airport, but also residential and industrial property developments.

The extensive rebuilding that took place in the 1930's is the reason for the Art Deco flavour in the City.
Napier can't help but be touristy. With its Mediterranean climate, Napier sits just in front of the sea with a 2km marine boulevard lined with Norfolk pine trees. The streets are broad, the perfect setting for cafe life-stylers to sample a bottle of some of the fine wines grown in the region. However, Napier's main distinguishing characteristic is its architecture - it has one of the largest Art Deco collections of buildings in the world.

Things to see and do
By far and away the best thing to do in Napier is to take a walk and soak up all the Art Deco architecture. You'll easily notice distinguishing Art Deco motifs such as ziggurats, rising suns, lightning flashes, stylised fluting and fountains. Styles range from Spanish Mission to Art Nouveau, Stripped Classical and the jazzy Art Deco with various motifs inspired by Maori, Egyptian and Mayan imagery. On Hastings Street check out the ASB Bank which has kiwi motifs in the form of ferns and masks. If you look inside you'll see more Maori inspired motifs. On Hastings also keep an eye out for the Criterion Hotel. Emerson street also has fine examples of Art Deco though many shop fronts are modern so you'll have to look to the first floor to really appreciate it. Check out the Bowman's Building, McGruers, and Hannah's. The Daily Telegraph building, on Tennyson Street is another exuberantly unashamed example of the style. Also on Tennyson is the Market Reserve Building and the Municipal Theatre which celebrates a geometric style. On Dalton check out the Hotel Central. You'll find examples of the Californian Spanish Mission style on Dickens St at the GAiety de Luxe Cinema.

The 2km Marine Parade with its lining of Norfolk Pines has a British feel to it (if you're wondering why no one's in the water it's because its full of rips and way too dangerous). You can stroll through the Centennial Gardens and look at some of the few wooden buildings which survived the quake. For Art Deco check out the Masonic Establishment and the Soundshell. At the northern end of the marine parade check out the bronze Pania of the Reef, a voluptuous Maori siren who was forcefully retained by her folk when she left her lover to visit them.

Hawke's Bay Museum, 65 Marine Parade, has some precious artefacts of the Ngati Kahungunu Iwi. The taonga or treasures include fish hooks and intricately carved clubs. All in all its well presented with a few European and Art Deco antiques and the successful endeavours of amateur paleontologist Jan Wiffen. You can also find out more about the horrors of the quake through an audio-visual display in which survivors give an eyewitness accounts of the event to the accompaniment of some excellent sound-effects.

Also on Marine Parade kids will love the Hawke's Bay Aquarium. If you've got a diver's license and book in advance you can jump in the tank and feed the stingrays, eels, sharks, piranha, hawk-billed turtles and the curious kiwi tuatara (and heaps of other tropical fish...). Alternatively you can take the little ones to Marineland to watch performing dolphins and seals.

Wineries

There are some 30 vineyards around Napier and Hastings which mostly offer free tastings. Some have quality restaurants while at others you can eat your picnic lunch beneath the trees or play a game of petanque.The Hawke's Bay Region and Marlborough produce quality wines which to the surprise of many have earned New Zealand a growing reputation on the international market. This viticultural society was born in the 1850s with the French Marist Missionaries who planted the vines in order to grow wine the celebrate daily communion.