My hometown Napier, North Island New Zealand

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As my back is still not up to sitting for a long period at our main computer, where all the photos of our time in America are located, I thought I would show some pics of my hometown. Napier is situated on the sunny East Coast of the North Island in an area called Hawke’s Bay. It’s earthquake country & the entire city area of Napier came down in a big quake in February 1931 at around 11am. A lot of the beautiful Victorian homes on Bluff Hill overlooking the city were damaged ….& parts of the hospital up on the hill, with the Nurses’ Home collapsing & claiming the lives of a number of nurses sleeping after night duty. The city was rebuilt, providing much-needed employment for builders & carpenters in the Great Depression. As the land had been pushed up by 7 feet, land formerly under the sea was drained off & built upon, providing even more employment ….so there was a silver lining & this is how my parents came to live in Napier. Rebuilt in the modern style of the time, Napier is now one of the most famous Art Deco style cities in the world. People come from all over the globe to spend time rambling about the small city, & a big annual festival is held to celebrate it’s fame ……called the Art Deco Weekend, both locals & many tourists dress up in 1930s style & dance in the streets & generally have a wonderful time. As a child growing up in Napier, I really did not appreciate its uniqueness, but I do love returning to my hometown, also known as The Riveria of NZ. I hope members will enjoy looking through these photos …..

Below is St John’s Cathedral with beautiful big Jacaranda trees nearby. The original cathedral came down in the quake, trapping a well-known middle-aged society woman beneath a huge roof beam. Men struggled frantically to free her, but could not do so. With fires from broken gas pipes raging around them, the young Dr present at the scene, did the only thing he could & gave the poor lady an overdose of morphine …a mercy killing so that she would not die a horrible death. It haunted him for the rest of his life.

Lovely view from the beach towards Cape Kidnappers ….which is now the site of one of the world’s biggest Gannet sanctuaries. I played on this beach as a child, as my home was nearby.

Flowers growing wild on the beach ….I think they are Caifornian Poppies …flowers are closed.

This piece of marshy land was part of a huge piece of land reclaimed from the sea in the quake ….it is now used as a Wetland Reserve & is home to many unusual wild fowl.

More flowers growing wild on the beach.

Lovely view of land next to the Napier Airport.

Another area of land reclaimed from the sea in the 1931 quake, now being used as Wetland Reserve.

Nice view over coastal area.

Built in 1932 …..this lovely Art Deco building was built as the Napier Fire Station, but in recent years has been converted into a large shop selling Art Deco decorative pieces.

Full-size bronze statue of an Art Deco society lady walking her dog ….recently-commissioned & placed on the pavement in the main shopping street in Napier.

Pretty area along the Marine Parade. People picnic in this area on Art Deco Weekend, & enjoy a champagne breakfast from purchased hampers to the accompaniment of music from the movie The Great Gatsby.

Very tall slender palm trees in Clive Square.

Beautiful rugged coastline around Napier.

Napier after the 1931 earthquake.

Big bronze statue on the Marine Parade …. Pania of the Reef …..Maori legend has it that a beautiful young daughter of a local Maori Chief, fell in love with a young man from another tribe, who tragically drowned in the sea trying to swim to her. The distraught young woman swam out to the reef which his body had washed up on, & held him in her arms until the two of them were washed into the sea in the rising tide. Pania was never seen again.

View over the sea from Bluff Hill ( formerly known as Scinde Island, but connected to the mainland in an earlier quake).

People enjoying Art Deco Weekend …. Showing the lovely landmark domed T&G building in background.

Napier is a well-known vineyard area, with a number of large wine estates.

Commemorative plague.

White water rafting on the Moharka River.

Major land slip after a more recent quake in Napier area ….thankfully it was discovered before a train went hurtling over that track suspended in fresh air.

More lovely coastline around the Bay.

Majestically rugged hill-country.

Called The Spirit of Napier, this Naked lady has been sculpted in Art Deco style as greets one as they enter Napier along the Marine Parade.

More earthquake damage 1931

Below is the only large inner city building to survive the quake. It’s an ornate building with copper ornamentation
& some stunning plasterwork on the ceilings inside.

Clive Square showing the beautiful Jacaranda trees in full bloom.

• 22 Oct, 2012
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