A visit to my hometown of Napier, in Hawke's Bay, North Island, New ...

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The photos below, were taken in my hometown of Napier, which is a picturesque small coastal city. Napier is known internationally for being one of the best & most beautiful examples of an Art Deco city & tourists come from all over the world to view the inner-city, which was rebuilt in stylistic Art Deco form in 1931. The building of the inner-city area took place after a big earthquake at around 11am on 3rd February 1931, followed by massive gas explosions & fire, destroyed virtually the entire inner-city. My mother lived through this earthquake & was to vividly remember that day for the rest of her life. But the result was that the rebuilding of Napier, in the time of the Great Depression, provided unemployed men with jobs for many months … no social services in those days, so extremely hard on families with no income. There are parts of Napier which were not badly affected by the quake, & still retain their graceful Victorian & Edwardian villas, but it is the inner-city with its Art Deco charm, which draws a multitude of people from all over ….. & of course the lovely hot summers which Napier enjoys, & the beautiful turquoise ocean which frames it. Due to its great climate, Napier has grown into a large wine-producing region, & there are many big wine-estates with picturesque vineyards covering the hills.

• 6 May, 2012
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