Napier

Jan 28 – unfortunately, the rain stayed with us today in Napier. But we decided to take a tour anyway and it was well worth it. The city is located within the renowned wine-producing region of Hawke’s Bay. We toured the city of and then went to the Mission winery. We each got a flight of different wines and had lunch. The charcuterie boards we had for lunch were amazing.

In 1931, the entire city of Napier and the nearly city of Hastings were completely destroyed by an earthquake. Much of the land in these two small coastal cities was raised up 6-8 feet above sea level. Many areas that were covered in water became “new” land above sea level. The cities were rebuilt in the Art Deco style popular at the time. The waterfront includes numerous parks, community swimming pools, museum’s and shops. It was really very beautiful city. BTW, we drove around quite a bit and it was rare to see any litter. The city, as well as housing communities, were extremely clean with lots of well manicured hedges and colorful gardens.

Downtown Napier. This land was underwater prior to the 1931 earthquake.