Everything changed at 10.47 on the morning of 3 February 1931 when an earthquake of 7.9 on the Richter scale devastated Napier. The main quake was followed by aftershocks and a fire that consumed everything. 258 people died in the bay area, 162 in Napier alone. The land buckled, leaving 30 sq km some 2m higher and now no longer covered by the sea. Napier embraced the opportunity and planned a modern city of reinforced concrete drawing inspiration from Art Deco incorporating motifs such as fountains, chevrons and lightning flashes …
… but also Spanish Mission …
… and Chicago styles …
as well as Egyptian and Mayan designs and even Maori imagery.
The simultaneous reconstruction gave Napier stylistic uniformity rarely seen, with a huge collection of Art Deco buildings. Over time, many of these features were just over painted, but the Art Dec Trust now promotes and encourages owners to make the most of their heritage, and today Napier wears its Art Deco glad rags with pride once more. We wandered round the town ourselves, then went on a guided tour and took far too many photos.
Later we went for a lovely birthday dinner, followed by a walk along the front to see the coloured fountain.
As we left Napier, time to stop off at Mission Estate Winery, the oldest vineyard in Hawke’s Bay, founded by French Missionaries to make sacrificial wine. We went to the cellar door in the beautifully restored seminary building for a free tasting, and we came away with a cheeky little merlot or two!
Onwards now, a 300kms drive to Wellington.
Off Travelling Together 