Napier is a coastal Art Deco town of about 68,000 people. I was staying in a garden flat that was high up on the bluff. It was quiet and serene and overlooked a garden with chickens on the property. It was a 10 minute walk into town , which was situated along a very picturesque waterfront that seemed to go on for kilometres. I spent the day exploring the town and was just so impressed with the architecture.
I went to their museum and heard some pretty incredible stories through their exhibitions. They had Māori stories that featured leaders in the area and contributions they had made. I really enjoyed their traditional stories of the creation of the natural environment. When I look at the mountains, streams, forests, ravines, waterfalls, and the environment, these stories will resonate with me. I wish we had more of this in Canada!
They also had a film that featured four survivors of the 1931, 7.9 earthquake. The people telling their stories would have been in elementary school, high school or young adults at the time. It was heart wrenching to hear about the disaster that they lived through. Also encouraging as they described the way that community came together and how they rebuilt this town. The town had very few things that survived the earthquake, many people lost their lives, and those that survived were impacted by the trauma. However , the town leaders wanted people to focus on the future and they went about to completely rebuild the town. So most of the rebuilding took place from 1931 to 1933 and many of those buildings are still standing and have become preserved through a group called the Art Deco Trust. Imagine how much organizing must’ve been to achieved, considering they rebuilt at a time when the depression was felt in New Zealand.
I was intrigued by these stories, so I went over to the art deco centre to find out a little bit more. What a wonderful afternoon I had with the volunteers working at the centre. First, they led me to this dress up corner. They had all kinds of clothes from the 20s and 30s. I have to say the styles and partying spirit of that time has always been one of my favourites. I was reminded how much fun it is to get dressed up. I used to love doing it as a child and Mom would often find me in her best dress showing off my ( or her) attire on the streets of Wilcox. As a teen and young adult, my friends, and I would always get dressed up for Halloween. When I worked in childcare, dramatic play was always one of my favourite activities with the children. The volunteers and I shared many laughs and they were delighted how I got into the spirit of this era.
The next day I signed up for the art deco tour throughout the town. It was so beautiful and hard to capture everything they shared on the tour. The architectural designs included Art Deco with Maori motifs, Stripped Classical, Spanish Mission and Prairie Style. These were very popular in the 1930s, which was when they were rebuilding the town.
They also had old cars from that era driving around. Mom’s Uncle Moe used to have one of these cars and I remember how it would turn heads as he drove the family around Wilcox.
After our tour, I went for a gin and tonic with a woman named Christina who is from Melbourne and also on the tour. She was in her 80s and travelling alone in a very similar way that I was by bus, in several different places. We had great laughs together. She was very entertaining and as you can imagine quite young at heart. She was so impressed that I came from a Prairie town that was only 10 km away from where her favourite show “Corner Gas” was filmed. It was like she had met a celebrity. Who would’ve thought that show would’ve reached audiences in Australia.
Napier was just getting ready to celebrate their annual festival. Everyone gets dressed up in clothes from the roaring 20s, have old style performances, dance classes from the era, and much more. Sorry I will miss it.
Today was also the anniversary of the signing of the Waitangi Treaty. It is a national holiday and there were celebrations all over the country. Unfortunately, I was not able to make it to one of them, so spent a bit of the morning watching the live coverage on the treaty grounds. Very impressive and educational. It is also a very challenging time here. A member of Parliament has been pushing to have the treaty renegotiated. Many people, other members of Parliament, the media say that this will not happen however, it has raised issues of trust and has deeply affected the Maori and a majority of New Zealanders who take great pride in their country, their relationships, and its welcoming and inclusive nature.
While I was in Napier, I also explored a neighbourhood called Ahuriri . It had a beautiful walkway with stunning views of the Hawkes Bay area. I was able to see the port and then make my way into the sailing club area where there were lots of restaurants and activity places along the way. I decided to rent a bike and head up to one of the vineyards that people had told me was quite spectacular. Of course at the bike shop they told me it was about 8 km ride . Well for me, it was closer to 12 with many stops and starts from losing direction. I met a lot of very wonderful people who were helpful in getting me back on track. The trip was spectacular and it was a very easy trail (except for lack of direction signage). I went through beautiful park areas , farmlands, along rivers, over and under old railway bridges . It was really a very lovely ride. Finally made it to the Mission Estate Winery. It was established in 1851 by pioneering French missionaries. It is New Zealand’s oldest winery and said to be the birthplace of New Zealand wine. The man at the bike shop told me that it was still owned by the Catholic Church. I had a very delicious flight of reds! I am not sure if it was the wine, but the ride home was much quicker!
The next day Russel and Estelle, owners of the place I rented, gave me a ride to the bus depot. Very thoughtful as most hosts don’t offer this. I was taking the bus to Taupo, had a two hour layover there before I made my way to Mount Maunganui. More on that journey in my next posting.