Welcome to Hawke’s Bay

Once over the mountains, we get our first glimpse of the Hawke’s Bay region under the golden light of the morning sun. Lush rolling hills stretch far and wide casting magnificent shadows over the landscape.

Checking into our art deco hostel

The closer we get to the hub of Hawke’s Bay, Napier, the flatter the landscape gets perfect for the fields of fruit and vineyards. Hawke’s Bay is a significant wine-making region in New Zealand, which we’ll be sure to find out more about later in the week, but for now, we are arriving in the city centre of Napier to check into our hostel, Archies Bunker. It is our first encounter with the Art Deco architecture that we are going to be learning more about today. The facade of the building is impressively maintained with vibrant colours and the name of the hostel sharply painted in a classic Art Deco font across the building.

Art Deco guided walk

Once checked in, we only have to walk 30 seconds to the corner of Tennyson Street and Herschell Street to arrive at the Art Deco Centre. Not only is does the Art Deco Centre have a shop with many funky Art Deco trinkets, clothing and souvenirs, but it is also the start of a guided walking tour you can take around the city. Considering we have been in the city less than an hour, we figured this would be the best introduction to Napier.

Having a look at the grand Municipal Theatre

The dawn of a new age

The tour starts with meeting our guide, Niki, in a small cinema room for a quick presentation. Accessorised with a splendid straw hat and some funky jewellery made from coins, Niki explains the context to Napier’s Art Deco obsession. The aid of maps and photographs shows the transformation of Napier before and after a 7.8 earthquake that devastated the city. The rebuild of Napier came in this Art Deco style. And for those who are sat here wandering what the hell does Art Deco even mean, then all that is explained too with examples of geometric patterns, angular shape, and symbols of power, freedom and dawn of a new age – fitting for both the 1920s era that the Art Deco style derived from and for a reviving town.

One good looking town!

Now to see the examples of this Art Deco architecture, we head onto the streets of Napier. Almost every building in the city centre has a facade of this Art Deco style: lots of angular overhangs, a mix of colours, names and dates of buildings proudly labelling the top of the facade. The city is definitely one-of-a-kind, not only from what we have seen in New Zealand but out of the 30+ countries we have travelled in combined. These impeccably maintained buildings mixed with streets lined with palm trees makes Napier one good looking city!