TRAVEL: Mike Yardley is enchanted by Napier’s art deco scene
Penguins, Art Deco are part of Hawke’s Bay’s delights, writes
II strolled beneath the shady Norfolk Pines, making my way to the National Aquarium, where I had a hot date with our flippered friends.
’M SURE MY HEAD was tilted in permanent recline, as I gazed in admiration at all the geometric sand whimsical shapes, ornamenting the Art Deco buildings of Napier. But there’s only so much the untrained eye can decode.
The best way to enrich your understanding of the architecture and to scratch beneath Napier’s surface is take a guided walking tour hosted by the Art Deco Trust. It is $28 well invested.
My wonderfully straight-shooting guide, Helen, led me on an illuminating exploration through Napier’s architectural confections, eagerly helping me decipher the variety of period designs and ornamental motifs.
I soon knew my zigzag from my ziggurat. Sun bursts symbolised the dawn of a new age and the reason so many Egyptian, Mayan and Aztec shapes were in vogue was because there so many excavations and discoveries at the time, from the ancient world.
Leadlight windows were a hugely popular design feature in Art Deco, as were repetitive geometric patterns and the speed lines, that grace many buildings.
I delighted in Helen’s irreverent candour. She wagged her finger disapprovingly at a brutalist multi-storey eyesore in Emerson Street, the Pegley building. Helen delighted in remarking that this urban intruder has never been fully occupied.
Emerson, Tennyson and Hastings Streets are home to most of the 140 original Art Deco buildings. Only 20 of the originals have been lost.
One of my favourites is the ASB building, which was formerly the Bank of New Zealand, and was the first Art Deco building in the world to incorporate Ma¯ori design. The repetitive design of the tukutuku patterning works so well as an Art Deco motif.
The spectacular Pink House, a mix of Art Deco and Spanish Mission styles, which has previously been a strip club and a brothel is currently being lustily restored as a boutique hotel.
Other star specimens on the walking tour include the T&G Building with its iconic copper dome, the Provincial Hotel, the Daily Telegraph, Municipal Theatre and the Art Deco Masonic Hotel, which was fully rebuilt after the quake.
Beautiful Marine Parade, studded with those famous Norfolk Pines that were planted in 1881, flanks the beach. All of the earthquake rubble was deposited alongside Marine Parade, stretching for 1.5km.
I strolled beneath the shady Norfolk Pines, making my way to the National Aquarium, where I had a hot date with our flippered friends.
Warmly greeted by the general manager, Rachel Haydon and the penguin head keeper, Becs Cuthbert, I got intimately up close and personal with the smallest penguins in the world, with the Little Penguin Close Encounter.
Home to 14 little penguins, they are the waifs and strays of the penguin world, brought to the aquarium for specialist rehab or long-term care, after being rescued. Some are missing a flipper or an eye, after becoming ensnared in the likes of fishing nylon.
I was awestruck how even spending 45 minutes with these adorable critters vividly demonstrated how individualistic their personalities are. Some are like bolshy schoolyard bullies, while others gently sidled up to me as if they’d been studiously channelling Deepak Chopra.
Liberally laced with blissfully scenic cycle trails, after taking my fill of the city centre, I saddled up at Napier City Bike Hire with a trusty e-bike, for a leisurely afternoon on the Water Ride trail, skimming the coastline from Marine Parade all the way to Bayview.
The waterfront trail is loaded with eyecatching temptations like Perfume Point Reserve, the wetlands, Bayview and the historic fishing village of Ahuriri, where characterful West Quay groans with boutique stores and hearty hospitality venues.
Scenic Hotel Te Pania is poised like a sparkling princess on Marine Parade. This premium waterfront hotel’s crescentshaped curve echoes the shape of the lustrous bay. Sweeping ocean views and across the expanse of Marine Parade are all part of the package at this effervescent property, where highly attentive staff will treat you royally.
Book a premium room on the upper floors to accentuate your lofty perch.This fresh, light-filled and contemporary-style hotel is a mid-size affair with 108 rooms, equalling admired by business travellers and holidaymakers.
Travelling with your pooch? They even have some dog-friendly accommodations. If you’re visiting with the wha¯nau, families can take advantage of the interconnecting rooms. Serene and stylish, it’s the complete package.
www.hawkesbaynz.com