Napier
The Daily Telegraph is one of the stars of Napier's art-deco show, with superb zigzags, fountain shapes and a symmetrically patterned facade. If the front…
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Napier
The Napier of today – a charismatic, sunny, composed city with the air of an affluent English seaside resort – is the silver lining of the dark cloud that was the deadly 1931 earthquake. Rebuilt in the popular architectural styles of the time, the city retains a unique concentration of art-deco buildings. Don’t expect the Chrysler Building – Napier is resolutely low-rise – but you will find amazingly intact 1930s facades and streetscapes, which can provoke a Great Gatsby-esque swagger in the least romantic soul. Linger a while to discover some of regional New Zealand's best restaurants and also a few excellent wineries less visited than the bigger names around nearby Hastings and Havelock North.
Attractions
Must-see attractions
National Tobacco Company Building
Napier
Around the shore at Ahuriri, the National Tobacco Company Building (1932) is arguably the region’s deco masterpiece, combining art-deco forms with the…
Napier
The beating cultural heart of Napier is the smart-looking MTG – a gleaming-white museum-theatre-gallery space by the water. The MTG showcases live…
Napier
Napier's elegant seaside avenue is lined with huge Norfolk Island pines, and dotted with motels and charming timber villas. Along its length are parks,…
Napier
Wooden palisades, carved pou (memorial posts) and a carved gate help bring this pā (fortified village) site to life. An hour-long loop walk across grassy…
Napier
Painted recently as part of a street-art festival, there are 50 colourful and thought-provoking murals scattered across central Napier and Ahuriri. Pick…
National Aquarium of New Zealand
Napier
Inside this modern complex with its stingray-inspired roof are piranhas, terrapins, eels, kiwi, tuatara and a whole lotta fish. Snorkellers can swim with…
Napier
On the run from the law? Assuage your guilt with a tour of the grim 1862 Napier Prison (the oldest in NZ) on the hill behind the town. There's a self…
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