Napier
Napier is a city in Hawkes Bay, on the east coast of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is famed for its Art Deco architecture.
Understand
The 1931 Napier earthquake and a subsequent fire destroyed much of the downtown business area. When this area was rebuilt, it was reconstructed in the prevailing Art Deco style. The demolition rubble was dumped along the eastern foreshore and turned into gardens and a recreational reserve.
The earthquake also raised the land by several metres. The airport and low lying land in the suburb of Pandora was previously an estuary. Some of the streets in the area have retained their original street type names that they had when they were on the coastline. Although the street may be called a quay or a bay it may be inland now.
Get in
By road
- State Highway 2 passes through the centre of Napier just outside the downtown area.
By plane
- The Napier Airport is just north of town, beyond Westshore.
See
- Marineland
- Aquarium
- Soundshell
Sleep
- Most of the motels are found in Westshore, either on or just off State Highway 2.
Get out
Napier can be a base to explore the rest of Hawkes Bay. The city of Hastings is close by and a trip to see the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers is an experience.
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