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Published: January 31st 2011
I slept well, though with the aid of the very last of my Benadryl, and woke rather groggily at 7:30 a.m. I went out to walk by the ocean (for the YHA is across the street from the South Pacific), and when I returned I had a wonderful surprise. The lady I'd asked to pray for me had come to the YHA while I was gone, and left a package for me. It proved to contain a 2011 calendar, a keychain, and several postcards of New Zealand. There was also a friendly note, wishing me a happy stay in Napier and safe travels onward.
I was delighted. Somehow it made the whole trip feel safe and happy again. I decided to go sightseeing.
I had noticed a mention of Art Deco Walking Tours on my YHA map of Napier, and I decided that I could learn from such a tour. After a check of the Art Deco Trust's website revealed that the morning and afternoon tours were different, I decided to join the more comprehensive afternoon tour, which lasted 2 1/2 hours.
A cruise ship, the Sun Princess, was in port, so there were many people there
for the afternoon tour. Two of them, a husband and wife, were from Pittsburgh. I liked them, and later that day when I watched their cruise ship glide away in the direction of Wellington, I missed them and wished them well.
Anyhow, we were given an introductory talk, and then split into two ten-person groups. One group set off down Tennyson Street in the usual direction, and the other group, my own, set off to do the tour in reverse.
It was well worth the $21 fee. We were allowed to enter several buildings: a bank, a winery outlet, a theatre. The theatre was amusingly called "The Cinema," because, the guide said, its owner had thought the name sounded modern when it was built, but in fact no movies had ever been shown there. The theatre had multicolored neon lights in its lobby.
The guide told us the sad story of St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. A new church building had just been completed when the earthquake struck; its consecration had been scheduled for the following week. It survived the earthquake, but was gutted by the ensuing fires. The congregation let the shell of the building stand until
the 1950's, when they pulled it down and rebuilt on its foundations.
Most of the town was rebuilt within two years, all in Art Deco style. The local government had forbidden businesses to rebuild until a unified town plan could be drafted, so all the businesses in town opened up under a single roof in a hurriedly-erected building placed in a public garden. All the professional people in town -- doctors, lawyers, etc. -- had space in another hurriedly-erected building in another and smaller park. As the guide told us, it was New Zealand's very first shopping mall. As their businesses were rebuilt, however, the tenants moved out, and eventually the makeshift building was torn down and the public garden became a public garden again. It is very lovely now.
Napier, just like Wellington, has a statue of a person and a dog, posed at ground level, with no pedestal. Napier's person is a flapper, and the guide said that the model was a daughter of one of the town's architects. I wonder whether the same sculptor made both statues.
I bought a book on the earthquake, which I am going to try to mail home. It
looks small and light. If it costs ridiculous sums of money to mail, I'll know better next time.
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Barbara Holland
non-member comment
Another of your blog followers
I've been enjoying reading your blog of this remarkable trip. Your courage and fortitude come through strongly. I just wanted you to know that you have a follower in North Carolina who wishes you well. I'll keep you in my prayers and thoughts. Thanks for sharing this extraordinary adventure!