Art Deco Napier…out of the ashes
Seventy years ago, almost to the day, a horrendous earthquake hit one of New Zealand’s largest cities. In the immediate aftermath many people lost their lives and the centre of the city was destroyed through a combination of tremor and fire.
Out of the death and destruction the city rebuilt itself quickly and with some planning aforethought. The result was a community that quickly regained it civic pride, its business structure and now some seven decades later a city that is about to obtain world heritage status.
Napier, on New Zealand’s eastern coast, part of the Hawkes bay region, is a waking, working, living, breathing example of art deco architecture at its very best. When the earthquake struck the authorities decided on fairly strict new building codes based around looks and safety. Great architects of the time, many of them disciples of Frank Lloyd Wright, were deployed to create a new city that would lighten the spirits of the citizens and stand the test of time.
As you stroll through the streets you could easily be transferred back to the era of the great Gatsby and the pre-depression days of the early thirties.
We had a guide in the form of Cindy, from the increasingly powerful local Art Deco Society, who gave us all the detail and history but to be frank just don your spats and raise your parasol, stroll and enjoy the time machine.
Napier has other things to offer as well – Wine!!!! Hawkes Bay, alongside Marlborough on the south island is at the heart of the impressive and still expanding New Zealand wine industry and the countryside around Napier is littered with vineyards.
We chose to take a look at the Te Maata winery and it was a wise choice. Big cheese (next door local kiwi cheese for lunch is a good idea) was none other than Cindy’s old man Larry and he took great pains to take us into the fields to describe the process of producing some of the finest wines the region has to offer. I know, I tried it.
So as is normal with visits of this kind I will be straight into Waitrose or Majestic (if I can afford it) to sample some at home.
Oh and I almost forgot to mention Cape Kidnappers, which many golf experts consider the finest course in the whole of the country, is also here. No I did not play – too much wine and spats that were too tight.
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Bev
Editor in chief Bev Fearis has been a travel journalist for 25 years. She started her career at Travel Weekly, where she became deputy news editor, before joining Business Traveller as deputy editor and launching the magazine’s website. She has also written travel features, news and expert comment for the Guardian, Observer, Times, Telegraph, Boundless and other consumer titles and was named one of the top 50 UK travel journalists by the Press Gazette.
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