Napier

Where is it?

Napier is the capital of the Hawkes Bay region and sits right on the coast. It benefits from near Mediterranean weather and a gorgeous location, just beneath the 100 m high Bluff Hill. Formerly laid out as a town in 1854 it was named for military man Charles Napier. Prior to that it had been a whaling station and an important centre to the local Maori population.
Significantly, Napier sits astride the area where the Pacific Plate meets the Indo-Australian Plate (little bit of plate tectonics for you there, thank you very much!)

What’s it like?

The town is large enough to be interesting but not so large to be unfriendly. It is in a lovely spot with a great climate and there is a lot to see and do. What is the draw back I hear you ask but tell the truth, couldn’t really find one. Apart from the plate tectonics bit.
Now, an earthquake that measures 7.9 on the Richter scale, demolishes or causes to burn most of the town and the surrounding area and kills 260 or so people into the bargain can never be seen as ‘a good thing’. But nearly 80 years after the ‘quake of 31’ and speaking utterly dispassionately it was a cloud that had a big silver lining.
Prior to the earthquake that struck causing such devastation in 1931, Napier, as a town, had ground to a halt. It was a busy port and centre of a blossoming agricultural region but it had run out of room. All the land was used up. The quake caused the land to rise 2 metres and the 300 sq km that were ‘reclaimed’ from the sea provided the ground on which the towns’ growth and future prosperity depended. Apart from providing land for housing and farming, the new ground now houses the towns’ airport.

What to see and what to do.

The other benefit of the earthquake was that the town was rebuilt in the style of the time. This has led to Napier becoming a centre of Art Deco architecture that is rivalled only by Miami. There are numerous tours around the highlights of this most distinctive of design styles. Mixed in with the Art Deco ‘stuff’ are other buildings built along Spanish Mission style both of which combine to make Napier a very unique place. Take a tour or wander at your leisure but be sure to have a look.
Napier is more than just a pile of buildings; a stroll along Marine Parade with its British seaside promenade flavour (except with sunshine) is very pleasant. On the Parade, you can visit Marineland (which does pretty much what it says on the label) and swim with Dolphins, or the nearby National Aquarium of New Zealand and swim with Sharks (qualified divers only). Don’t be tempted to swim in the sea here, way too dangerous. There are good beaches just a short step up or down the coast. If you crave danger however there are the usual collection of places offering the full range of Kiwi opportunities to scare yourself senseless.
Elsewhere is the Hawkes Bay Museum which covers everything from Maori and Colonial history, natural and prehistoric history of the area and the earthquake.
Apart from the buildings, the other main draw in the area is the fact that Napier is at the heart of the Hawkes Bay wine-growing region. Get on one of the many tours and enjoy some of the best Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay being produced in the world today.

Eating, drinking and sleeping.

As it has grown as a tourist destination so the range and quality of the food on offer has improved and Napier now boasts a burgeoning café scene. There a decent restaurants of all sorts as well as a number of good solid drinking establishments, it even has an Irish Theme pub (oooh, there's a shock).
The town really comes to life during festival season, which is in February. First is the Mission Vineyard Concert at the start of Feb, this is followed closely by the Art Deco Weekend towards the end of the month. The concert attracts international acts as diverse as Kenny Rogers and the late great Ray Charles.
There are loads of places to stay of all sorts, as everywhere else the immediate post Christmas period can be busy but apart from that, availability is excellent. Try and book one of the Art Deco hotels in the centre for a true Napier experience.