Napier, New Zealand Travel Blogs

Napier...
Mar 17, 2005

... things to say about it and recommended a cool hostel to stay in. I'm looking forward to settling down now. I have been in New Zealand almost a month now and I have already nearly completed a round trip of the North Island! I am glad that I have done it ...

Wine (and beer) tasting in Napier
Jan 22, 2006 (10 photos)

... or cold in the car. So plans were put on hold for the wineries, and we went off to Cape Kidnappers instead - a place outside of Napier where loads of gannets live. We didn't get to walk all the way up to there because of the low tide, so just chilled ...

Leaving Lake Waikaremoana
Feb 29, 2004 (2 photos)

... Napier. We had all thoroughly enjoyed the tramp around Lake Waikaremoana. There was no question about why this was one of the Great New Zealand Walks. Now that we had been hiking for three and a half days, our packs felt pretty light on our backs, and ...

Happy Birthday To Ewe
Oct 6, 2004 (9 photos)

... kind of rousing, inspirational fare . . . then again so does Mark Thatcher. We spent the special morning ambling through Napier's tackily historic streets on a self-guided walk courtesy of our Dorling Kindersley guidebook . . . and soon got bored, so ...

Napier
Jan 4, 2006 (3 photos)

After Napier was destroyed in an eathqake, the locals embraced art deco to create New Zealand's art deco city. Putting aside images of New York's deco skyscrapers, Napier is a pretty town with some beautifully painted buildings, including a very attractive ...

The heart of Art Deco, Napier
Mar 7, 2008 (46 photos)

... we just missed the party. Napier has an Art Deco trust which also hosts guided walks on an Art Deco trail through Napier. Centurion Backpackers, our accommodation while in Napier, was previously the Centurion Hotel and is one of the buildings on the Art ...

Getting all art deco
Mar 15, 2004 (5 photos)

... the north island that I'd missed, I hired a car with a friend, and set off to tick those other boxes. First stop was Napier, on the east coast, a town famous for its incredible art deco architecture. The entire city was razed to the ground in 1931 as a ...

Napier
Mar 30, 2007

Alex: We had heard good things about Napier from a few people so we decided to stop here to break up the journey between Rotorua and Wellington. The town was reduced to rubble in the 30's after an earthquake so the city was rebuilt with earthquake ...

Art Deco
Jan 7, 2004 (8 photos)

... hectares of waterfront. Back in the car it's stinking hot, so we duck into the new National Aquarium of New Zealand, a wonderfully designed (and air-conditioned) piece of architecture. Re-emerging at 4pm, it's still damn hot, but we decide to continue ...

Under Tangerine Skies
Mar 5, 2007 (10 photos)

... we spent much of the early evening circling around looking for any kind of dimly lit hovel with a vacancy sign. Napier's colourfully rendered township partners a promenade which stretches for miles along the sea front, and as we hummed along on the ...

Solstice Fire Festival - perhaps not!
Jun 18, 2005

We decided at the last minute to go to Napier, because we had heard about the Summer Solstice Festival to be held on 18th June, and with free entry we were sold. However, once again the weather conspired against us. It was fine when we left Wellington but ...

Something Good Has Begun
May 5, 2006 (8 photos)

... Zealand. So I got a bus with Sophie to Auckland. I wouldn't say this freeloading experiment changed my view of New Zealand too much. But I'm grateful for the opportunity to meet these decent and generous people. If anything the experience taught me ...

Horses and opossums
Jan 7, 2004 (3 photos)

Emma finally gets her horse-fix on a sheep and cattle station near the coast. Our valiant effort to reach Napier yesterday ended here last night, 30km north of the city. Despite arriving late and unannounced, the owner rustled up a guide for us, so this ...

Art deco by the sea
Mar 19, 2006 (4 photos)

... , but everyone I met back in Taupo said it was really nice and worth a stop, so I jumped on the InterCity yesterday to have a look. Napier is on the east coast of the North Island, on the ocean, and it's a town of about 60,000 people or so. What is ...

Getting ready
Apr 9, 2008 (4 photos)

Well we have 4 days to go and there has been a lot of packing today. We are busy researching Motorhomes to buy in Vancouver and studying the travel guides to decide where we will travel first - is it skiiing or head south for warmer weather?? ...

Departure from NZ
Apr 13, 2008

Well we finally got to the HB airport on time - with 4 rather heavy bags (and even heavier carryon luggage). We had a lovely send-off fom family and friends. The AirNZ flight was

A little later the same evening
Apr 10, 2008 (1 photos)

Well - here I am again after learning a little more about how this software works. Caroline has asked me to add a few "more recent" pictures for your watching pleasure - so here they are ...

Holly's preparation for departure
Apr 10, 2008 (4 photos)

Whatz up people!!!! i am soooooooo excited i mean would you be? one more day of school then the weekend and on sunday we are outta here!!!! my room is all packed up and ready to go-just my bag and things im taking are in a heap on the floor:] im not ...

Art Deco
Mar 20, 2005

We arrived in Napier in the early afternoon. Due to an earthquake in the 1930s this city had to be rebuilt and is now referred to as "The Art Deco capital of the world". Not much to report on here, it was just an overnight stop before heading towards ...

Mini-golf, art deco and a movie
Feb 25, 2007

... the earthquake of 1931--Toad Hall.  We then set out to explore the city, which after the 1931 earthquake, rebuilt itself into New Zealand's premiere art deco city. After buying some CDs for the long drive, we went to examine the "black" beach that ...

Hawkes Bay in the rain...
Apr 11, 2009 (4 photos)

... rain stopped us in our tracks. And it would not stop, so we ended up flying the white flag and cycled the 5km back to Napier in pouring rain. We were drenched by the time we got back and very sober, so hot showers and hot chocolate in front of the box ...

Napier
Apr 16, 2006 (1 photos)

Sun 16th April Drove for three and a half hours to Napier via Hastings and stopped for lunch at Rosie O'Gradys where, you guessed it, I watched another game of rugby. The main reason for going to Napier was to look at the Art Deco buildings but after ...

Wine country and my first hostel
Mar 31, 2009 (7 photos)

... perfect! I checked in, dropped off my bags and set out to check out the town and beach. You don't realize that New Zealand's west coast ist he South Pacific Ocean, incredible emerald blue. They have good surfing in the area, but it's getting chilly ...

New Year's Eve--Day 5
Dec 31, 2007 (7 photos)

... our order but after that the service was excellent. We had prawn cakes, tom kha soup, alcoholic noodles, and sweet basil fish. We enjoyed the fireworks show put on at midnight on the beach. You can see some of it in the video clips. Happy New Year!.

a map summary of my travels, when I have lernt how
Jan 1, 2007

a map summary of my travels, when I have learnt how to do this. Trying to update my map of the world, as many people have asked where have I been and when am I going to write about it.  Well when we can put recorded voice stories instead of all that ...

wine, wine and more 'hic' wine
Jan 6, 2009 (16 photos)

Did a wine tour in Hawkes Bay and met some great people from all over, a Canadian couple, a South African couple and some great Kiwis. The wine was fab, the food was great and the guide from Grape Escape was a laugh. We came back to our campsite with ...

Count-Down!
Oct 3, 2008

Hi folks, a week from today we will be on our way to LA! From there we fly to Buffalo via Chicago to see some old friends of Jenny's: her "American Parents", as she calls them, with whom she stayed 45 years ago on a high school exchange for one year. ...

Heart of Hawke's Bay
Mar 31, 2007

The Art Deco city most famous for it's wine.

MY BIRTHDAY
Feb 13, 2005 (1 photos)

... a few days. The boys were winding me up saying we had budget cut backs and we would have to downgrade! We arrived in Napier and the boys agreed to a campsite (with hairdryers!!!) and we cleaned ourselves up. Then as a suprise birthday treat I was taken ...

Wine and Art Deco
Jul 16, 2006 (6 photos)

Coming soon