napier

Of all the places we have visited thus far in New Zealand, Napier is by far the nicest. Looking at the map and statistics beforehand, it didn’t look too promising: a population of 55,000 and just a handful of streets. This proved, however, to be most misleading.

The city was probably a quiet and boring seaside town until it was completely destroyed by a 7.9 scale earthquake in February 1931, it what was to date New Zealand’s largest natural disaster. It was the height of the Great Depression, but the government pledged to rebuild the place, and workers poured in from all over the country in search of work as part of the reconstruction efforts. What is interesting about the story though is the way in which Napier was to be rebuilt. Architects and consultant were called in to create a vision of Modernism and the future. As a result, the entire city is built in a classic Art Deco style, and the city was turned into a stunning resort town. I spent hours wandering around gawking at the buildings. I sat down on the terrace of a restaurant and drank some wine while staring at the totally blue sea. I then wandered up to the residential parts on the hills, with their stunning views of the sea. I went to the Hawkes bay (gentlemens) club and took tea on the patio in the back, thinking that although I would not like to live here, it is certainly a nice place to visit.