I often annoy my friend Queen Viv who calls me Pollyanna because I am hopelessly optimistic. Simplistically speaking, I do believe that things happen for a reason although with a tragedy as large as an earthquake, who knew that serendipity would occur after a the 1931 earthquake in Napier? Not to understate what the citizens of this pretty seaside town went through at all, but as a result of the destruction of the entire town, a stunning town emerged.
These delightful little doll’s heads move and nod-available from the Art Deco Store, Napier
Napier is known as the Art Deco city and it is absolutely worth a visit for the architecture buff although I suspect non architecture buffs would find this divine little town fascinating too. It is the only town in the world with so much Art Deco architecture as the whole town was rebuilt after the earthquake (within 22 months!). Art Deco was the style of the time which also suited the earthquake wary inhabitants with its reinforced concrete surfaces. The signature details of Art Nouveau were the zig zag designs, Egyptian themes and the geometric or ziggurat pattern as well as pastel colours.
One of the only buildings that survived the earthquake
In fact the only two buildings to have survived the 7.8 magnitude earthquake were ones that were made with reinforced concrete. We stop in at the Art Deco Trust in Napier where our guide Tony tells us that they’re constantly having little earthquakes that you can’t feel but that is a good thing as that means that there won’t be so much pressure building up to create an enormous one.
And the best way to see it all? On an Art Deco tour in a vintage 1938 Packard car or “the Rolls Royce of American cars” our wonderful guide Tony says. Tours leave from the Art Deco building and generally take about 1 hour 20 minutes. They take you for a drive to show the Art Deco outskirts of the town as he recommends seeing the Art Deco buildings in the centre of town by foot.
Driving through the town in a car like this is magnificent. Every year in the 2nd and 3rd week of February they hold an GEON Art Deco weekend festival which takes over the whole town and people get dressed in the 1930′s costumes, jazz bands play and bi-planes fly overhead.
Inside their art deco theatre
The original lights
There were four main architects that were responsible for the design of many of the buildings and on each tour Tony focuses one one or two. He points out his influences of Frank Lloyd Wright and the signature “eyebrows” on building. One building in particular has two styles of designs which would no doubt horrify purists-the mixture of Art Deco and Art Nouveau which preceded Art Deco. The Art Nouveau touches are the nature inspired details like leaves and flowers whereas Art Deco was certainly more about geometric angles and shapes.
1916 the first Art Deco building (now budget accommodation)
Hollyhock designs on the front of the building
The Art Deco trust is a strong movement that relies on people and businesses wanting to preserve the Art Deco buildings. The compromise in the building above was that the facade of building remained intact but this applied just to the front of the building, just behind it is a new block of apartments.
Johann Husheer was an extraordinarily successful tobacco tycoon who ended up being a philanthropist in later years. The Swiss German moved to the area after anti German sentiment pushed him out of Europe and he set up a tobacco factory in New Zealand. When he commissioned this building, he spared no expense and he was particularly fond of flowers so many floral details were incorporated into the design and these were placed in situ which contributed to the expense. In fact one of the front doors cost about 600GBP which at that time, could have bought a house.
Flowers placed in situ
The dome ceiling in Husheer’s main lobby
And interestingly, for a town that is so steeped in history, there is free wifi available in the town centre! A few other modern cities could stand to do this 
No visit to a town is complete without a meal and we have lunch at Madisons which is a stunning store and cafe full of natural light, blossoms and beautiful homewares. Each day they have daily specials and today we are in the mood for a light but tasty lunch. The service is absolutely wonderful from the staff there and when we can’t find a wireless signal in the cafe, they set us up outside and check to see whether we can get the wireless.
Seafood laksa (sorry I can’t remember the price-oops!)
I’ve been craving some spice and this laksa made with fat udon noodles, king prawns and scallops fits the bill quite nicely although I know laksa purists might question the use of udon noodles. It is served with a mound of cucumber salad in a soup bowl and it lightly spicy and thick with creamy coconut.
Melon with prosciutto and feta
Just the ticket for a fresh, flavoursome lunch there was sweet juiciness from the melon and salty richness from the prosciutto and feta.
Macarons
We couldn’t help but try the macarons in passionfruit, salted caramel and sour cherry flavours. It was hard to pick a favourite out of them as they were really my favourite types of flavours (salty or slightly tart). So I’m going to say I liked them all 
Lemon cupcake
Changing daily the cupcakes are cute and spread with a thick vanilla icing and on the bottom, a moist lemon cake.
Pizza paddles
We have a quick browse through the store with their very covetable items. But we can’t dawdle as we are running late! Our next stop? Exploring more of beautiful Hawke’s Bay…
So tell me Dear Reader, which design movement do you like best?
NQN travelled to and explored New Zealand as a guest of Tourism New Zealand
Art Deco Trust
163 Tennyson Street Napier 4110, New Zealand
Tel: +64 (06) 835 0022
Madisons
47 Tennyson St,Napier 4110, New Zealand
Tel: +64 06-835 0056
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43 Comments | Add your own
I’ve never heard of this town before. What a remarkable triumph over adversity. Lucky that they got a deco redux and that it hadn’t happened in, say, 1975!! I am loving that shrimp dish.
Love Art Deco! I live in a suburb that is generously peppered with many Art Deco buildings and I always get excited when I walk by them. Napier is a place I need to visit. So pretty and I would be in heaven
What a beautiful and somewhat nostalgic post. I love the pillows That One and This One!
I will have to add this town to my New Zealand itinerary for November!
So pleased you have featured this area, I would be upset if I had of missed it :0
Love all the buildings and the cute items in the store. I bet you had excess baggage on the trip home
I’ve been to Napier and it really is a beautiful and very pretty little town. Didn’t do the retro tour though – maybe next time! xx
Went to Napier as a kid and could only appreciate the McDonalds…think it’s time we went there as grown ups to see the pretty buildings! My architecture crush = Art Nouveau Paris
Stunning! I didn’t know Napier was like that. I loved this movement . What a great post! I can’t wait to visit one day
What a charming place–another one I had never heard of. Love the presentation of the prosciutto-melon salad as well.
I am drawn to Moroccan architecture and design, colonial Mexican, Art Nouveau, some Art Deco, and country antiques. Not modern.
What a fascinating looking town! And, those macarons look to die for!
Madisons look really really pretty!
I’ve never been to Napier! I must rectify this oversight at once, what a beautiful place. I thought Christchurch was gorgeous before the quakes so I can only imagine how beautiful Napier was. The transformation is amazing.
Art deco is a favorite of mine but I like anything with a bit of personality.
I love going for road trips to Napier from Auckland
The meals looked delish!
what a great post and town…xo I am interested in going there! thankyou…love the little dolls and the melon and fetta salad..wow
Thats tricky Lorraine, there are styles that I love to look at, but aren’t necessarily ones I want to live with. I love French provincial and art Deco both, but my house is quite Balinese in style- well as much as it can be when I certainly don’t live in the tropics
WOW, I love how you go to places i would never think of.
I would love my home to have a few art deco touches. I could happily live in a place like Madisons
Never liked Art Deco… Always loved Art Nouveau… Flowing natural lines, inspired by nature, gorgeous, romantic, so beautiful…
Thank you for a fabulous photo-essay for a Sunday morning treat! I have never visited Napier but, of course, know of its tragic but interesting history. Art deco as a style has never appealed to me, but the whole idea was and is wonderfully innovative and I truly would love to see the total effect in person
! Lovely post, Lorraine!
Hi there, My husband hails from Napier. I’ve never taken an Art Deco tour but will do so next time we visit – shame you didn’t get to the amazing wineries around Napier – where the food is every bit as good as the wine.
Hi Julie-I did go to the wineries, that’s an upcoming story
Oh how wonderful- Now New Zealand is definitely on my to do list- Loving ‘Madisons’ x
Fantastic post, Lorraine. Thank you. I love Napier – years since I’ve been there,so must go again, as don’t think those tours were happening back then. I find despite people thinking NZ is so small there isn’t much there, that in fact there is so much to see and lovely places to visit, you can meander around the country for many weeks…and the food is fantastic. A great meal we had one trip years ago was at a truck-stop just out of Oamaru – slowcooked mutton, with veg and peas. (Grandma was sitting out the back in the sun shelling the fresh peas!) The meat was sensational. Would never have thought of stopping to eat there but it was recommended by a local. and, as for the Meat-Lovers Special in Nelson – that’s another story!
I’m not at all a car person, but the I adore the colour of that car!! Such a gorgeous green. I like less that I thought the floral detail was spiders :S
Yay for tangy/tart sweet flavours! I’d love to try a sour cherry macaron
I love NZ but have never visited napier. The town looks so cute!
Hi Lorraine, that town reminds me of South Beach, Miami; it too is a town steeped in the tradition and history of art deco. It’s a beautiful place and right on the ocean with all its beautiful people (I was there when I was 30 and felt old and…never mind!) It has quite the collection of mob related stories that we learned about when we took a historical walking tour; that guide was incredible.
The laska sounds amazing, I’m going to check out recipes for it! Thanks.
Eva http://kitcheninspirations.wordpess.com
I like Art Nouveau but Art Deco is a close second.
Looks like you had fantastic weather for it. I love Napier (lived in NZ for 11 years and got married at Mission Est vineyard – 10 mins outside of Napier). Edwardian/art deco I love and Napier has many great examples. But all too often the windows of art deco houses are too small making inside a tad gloomy don’t you think?
Oh I love art deco. I spent some time in South Miami a very beautiful art deco suburb….
What gorgeous little details!
hmmm I don’t know much about design, so can’t articulate which era I like best. But I do appreciate the beauty of it all! & that car…stunning.
Heidi xo
Thanks for this post! I have wanted to go to Napier ever since I heard about it 4 years ago. I meant to go into 2008, but i couldn’t fit it into my trip. It is definitely on my agenda though, especially after seeing these magical photos. Art deco is my fave movement.
I’ve always wanted to go to Napier. I’ll get there some day! I love Art Deco when it’s done like this – I’d have that beautiful, big mirror in one of your pictures. I don’t have a favourite period (maybe Gothic or Arts & Crafts?) as such although I don’t like a lot of modern design including 60s, 70s and 80s. Plastic chairs. Ewwwww.
Pollyanna is a cool name, I will remember this one;)
That laksa looks delicious. Udon noodles might not be traditional but I think they’d go great. Yum!
I’m so jealous Lorraine
I loved everything you saw in Napier! I’ve never even heard of this area in NZ hehe but I really love all of their architectures and I particularly LOVE the cars! They’re so unique like nothing i’ve seen before hehe ~
And I love discovering cafes in new areas! I wouldn’t know which macaron to choose either lol they’re more favourite flavours too salted caramel and lemon
Hope i get to go soon!
Sorry don’t know much about design movements hehe
An entire town dedicated to Art Deco?? How cool! I’m not a big fan of little figurines (or as I like to call them, “dust collectors,” but those little dolls are mighty cute!
I love Art Deco. Every so often here, you’ll come across two or three houses in a streetvwithbthe classic deco lines. Curved sides. Flat roofs and wonderful windows. It is such a strong style. How lucky that the town was rebuilt in a period of stylish architecture. I want one of those pizza paddles. GG
I love the idea of the vintage car tour to see the old buildings. Lunch looks delightful too. Sour cherry sounds like a great macaron flavour.
I love architecture and appreciate the intricate, hard labour of each piece and then the magic of it all coming together. I love art deco, art nouveau, heritage, country, anything rustic and quirky – Loved Gaudi’s unique buildings and sculptures in Barcelona. That’s as “modern” as I like, as it’s done tastefully. I can’t stand today’s over the top modern.
Napier was my home until I moved to Wellington at the age of 18. My first job after leaving school was in the Public Trust Office, and one of my duties was to raise the flag in the morning on the roof of the building. Wonderful place to grow up. In those days Napier was known as a holiday destination only to NZers as it was isolated from the main route from Auckland to Wellington by the mountain range. Getting to Taupo was an epic trip over a dirt road. Now it’s gone international, with easy access. Only winery then was the Mission – the rest were orchards.
Also, forgot to mention, adore Prague, for the Baroque architecture. Love it, love it, love it.
Art Deco is my favourite design movement – I think here in Sydney the Grace Hotel is probably my favourite building. I’m heading to NZ in June and Napier is on the itinerary, I think I may need to look into that tour!
My grandfather worked on the rebuilding of Napier. The earthquake was truly devastating – the place as literally flattened. My home town is up the coast – Gisborne – and I have an Aunt who has loved in Hastings/Havelock North for many many years, so I have had the pleasure of visiting Napier many times, including once during Art Deco Festival. It is a very pretty city, famed for its architecture but also with lots of great produce and wineries!! I hope we see a story on Rush Munroes sometime soon, esp their delicious feijoa ice cream. Feijoas, how I miss thee!
oh any old school architecture,nouveau and art deco are favorites tho,so much classier and more personality than modern higgley-piggeldy austere stuff:)and wonderful too see old buildings n heritage surviving trends and earthquakes
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