Napier, Wines, Vines and Art Deco

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Napier 26th February

Arriving on Sunday afternoon through the industrial area doesn't prepare what you will find in this town.

Rebuilt after the deadly 1931 earthquake in the style of the time, the city retains a unique concentration of Art-Deco buildings. The earthquake killed 161 with a further 101 fatalities in neighbouring Hastings and reduced much of the town to rubble. The land in places rose 7 feet and Napier airport was later built on land that was once the seabed.

Napier was rebuilt in two years in the Art Deco and Spanish Mission styles popular in the 1930s and is now regarded as the Art Deco capital of the world.

Napier is low-rise and we were looking forward to walking the streets to look at the 1930's facades which can provoke the atmosphere of the time, in the least romantic soul.

Our hotel frontage, was built in the style of the 1930's, once a bank the Quest has transformed itself into a hotel with modern studio apartments whilst still maintaining its Art-Deco facade.

A short walk from the Quest is the iconic Masonic Hotel, it is here that we tried to get accommodation but as with a lot of places they were fully booked.

Each year in Napier they have an Art Deco Weekend which happened the weekend before we arrived. Over 200 events fill the week with dinners, picnics and dances all in the Gatsbyesque fancy dress.

I think the Art Deco tradition continues after the weekend and that was why we struggled with Accommodation.



We booked for an all day wine tour on the Monday before heading for dinner. We ended up in the Emporium Bar of the Masonic Hotel, with its marbled topped bar, great art deco details is very atmospheric.

With good food and great NZ wines (more tomorrow) and attentive staff (thank Nils), it was a good introduction to the city.



Monday 27th February

Our pickup was early, with a scenic tour of Hawkes Bay before our first wine tasting.

The first stop was Te Mata Peak, which rises melodramatically from the Heretaunga plains to a height of 399 m.

According to Maori legend, Te Mata O Rongokako fell in love with the Heretaunga chiefs beautiful daughter. One of the tasks she set before she would consider him as a suitor was to eat his way through a nearby hill. He apparently choked on a rock and died forming Te Mata peak.

We drove the summit road with vertigo-inducing stone escarpments, reminiscent of the Scottish Highlands. From the lookout you can see Hawkes bay, Mahia peninsula and Mt Ruapehu.

You could also see the first vineyard we were to visit.

Te Mata peak is a paragliding hot spot as well as providing numerous park trails for up to two hours.

Not for us and forward to the first vineyard, Black Barn in Havelock North. Hawkes Bay is now NZs second largest wine producing region.

Black Barn is an inventive winery with a bistro, gallery and an amphitheatre for concerts and movie screenings. It also holds a Saturday Farmers Market. As a small vineyard they do not sell outside the region.

A good selection of whites and an outstanding Merlot (our first purchase of the day).

In trying to remember our timings for this, I think this first tasting was about 11ish (I am writing this some 10 days after the events with some scant notes on the wines and food etc.)

There were only 6 people on this tour (plus one child!!) so I think the tour guide had some filling in to do.

So it was off to the honey farm, Arataki honey, an interactive look at honey production from hive to plate.

Not enough time filled, a quick scenic tour around Havelock North and on to an Olivery (yes, it is a word - in NZ) to sample all things Olive!!!

Back to the wine tasting, to Vidals, in Hastings. This winery used to be in the suburbs but the town has now encircled the whole area leaving it strangely on the backstreets of Hastings. It has a restaurant, just as well, as we had our food platter here after the wine tasting. Again another 4/5 wines to taste, from some simple to Chardonnay to more roust Syrah.

I've got to say here that the platter was quite disappointing and also we didn't think the wines were that good either. To me the Cellar door was too touristy and it reflected in the overall quality of the place.

To the afternoon now, there was a change in tour guide and fellow wine tasters (we lost the child & parents) and gained another 8 or so people.

We had three wineries to visit, with probably Sileni being the most famous, at the Ash Ridge we bought a white and a Rose and at the last winery, Crossroads a couple of bottles of red, a Syrah and Merlot.



Now it sounds as if we now have quite a collection of wine, well we had and because I'm writing this on the 7th March, it ALL been consumed.



So a great day around the wineries, the afternoon was probably better because the interaction in the group was better and we tasted some good wines, particularly at the Ash Ridge winery.

So back at the hotel, an early night after a light meal made in the studio room and of course a glass of good local wine - what could be better.



Tuesday 28th February

Another warm sunny day, our last full day in Napier.

And I hope the pictures tell the story. We bought the booklet, 10 NZ dollars to do the walking tour on our own.

It was well worth it, after coffee and cake we set off and just ambled our way around.

Some of more notable buildings include the Daily Telegraph Building, the Art Deco Centre, the MTG Hawkes Bay and the ASB Bank which is also the NZ wine centre.

So every picture tells a story and as the last picture is of the beer in the Emporium, you can guess where we had lunch on our final day here in Napier (the Tempura of John Dory was excellent)

Wednesday 1st March

Packed and ready for our next part of the adventure.

Today we are heading to Rotorua (aka Rotovegas or Rottenrua) to meet up with John and Heather who are coming down from Auckland for a few days.

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