Blogs from Napier, North Island, New Zealand, Oceania - page 8

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier June 9th 2009

09/06/09 Tuesday Day 298 Our hostel, The Criterion Hotel, is right in the middle of the city. It’s a huge place. It used to be a hotel back in the 30’s or something like that anyway! The walk from the bus station only took about 10 minutes so that’s not bad because our bus our of here in two days time is at 8am to Wellington. The city centre here is small too although the actual city spreads out a bit. We arrived at our hostel around 5pm so after checking in, we got ourselves a bit to eat in the café bar down stairs. The town tonight was completely deserted. We walked around looking for a few drinking houses. Not many to be seen in the city centre really. Rosie O’Grady’s was across the road ... read more

To the Capital and Beyond....!

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier April 16th 2009

Art Deco Feature in Napier

Travel Blog

We continued on our travels towards Napier - famous for its high concentration of Art Deco buildings. The city itself was built almost over night in the 1920s after a massive earthquake had obliterated the original town. We explored the city through a self-guided Art Deco Walk to find some of the more interesting frontages and Elly had her first ice cream of the holiday! The hostel was pretty good for the money and happened to be in an Art Deco Spanish Mission style former hotel, right in the centre. The next morning we awoke to another sunny day and wandered along the promenade, before mooching through the city centre, taking in the Easter sales. We enjoyed this city much more than the others we've passed through so far, mainly due to its interesting buildings, seafront ... read more

Back in time

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier March 18th 2009

onthegogirl

Napier On February 3, 1931 at 10:43 am, the world shifted for the citizens of a sleepy little town on the hills of eastern New Zealand. An earthquake measuring 7.9 leveled the town and the broken gas lines ignited fires that roared across the rubble. More than 250 people were killed, crushed under the rubble or burned to death in the fire. The earth rose up 3 meters and what was once a harbor became in an instant a fertile plain. Once the shock was over the town with the help of the NZ government started to rebuild. Since it was at the start of a global depression, architects from all over descended on the town and rebuild using the latest technology and in the predominate style of art deco. Until the mid 80’s, when a ... read more

Napier Wellington Nelson

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier February 21st 2009

Stalking Gannetts

BindyandTony

Napier Wellington Nelson Napier was brilliant - lovely art deco town. Visited the Gannett Colony by tractor & trailer ride 9Km along the beach, over rocks and through the waves. Brilliant time. Camped overnight for free on the beach and awoke in glorious sunshine before heading for Wellington. Stopped en route at Mt Bruce a wildlife sanctuary and 'Stonehenge Autorea' - a henge based on astronomical calculations and set in the middle of nowhere in rolling countryside - derelict house adjacent!! Pressed on for Wellington through mountains and gorges - fantastic road. Spent 2 nights camped in a carpark whilst we explored Wellington. Te Papa Museum is an amazing modern museum - free entry - and full of geological, human and natural exhibits - 6 floors. It took us 5 hours to visit 2!!!! Caught the ... read more

Napier: The Art Deco City

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier February 18th 2009

Napier-The Art Deco City

Barbara and Rod

Napier, on the shores of the South Pacific, invited us to come ashore on on a beautiful, sunny day in February. It is a uniquely enchanting small city with some of the finest examples of Art Deco architecture in the world, accented with palm trees and Norfolk Island pines. Napier is much older than it looks today. Napier and Hawkes Bay, with it's well established Maori history was first sighted by Capt. James Cook in October 1769, when he sail down the East coast of the North Island as he circumnavigated New Zealand. Of course Cook named Hawkes Bay. On Tuesday, February 3, 1931, Napier suffered a disastrous and massive Richter 7.8 earthquake. The earthquake and subsequent fires destroyed most of the city. They quickly rebuilt in the architectural fashion of the day, Art Deco. Nowhere ... read more

Napier & Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier February 12th 2009

Cape Kidnappers

Tracy Tbird Bignose Rob

14th January 2009 Cape Kidnappers Rob has had a bad back for the last week and had to see an osteopath, but I had really wanted to see the gannet colony at Cape Kidnappers, so we agreed I should go alone, while Rob rested at the house. We checked the tides and then Rob drove me down to Cooks Beach where the walk starts from. I set off at 12 noon and walked along the beach. It was a lovely day and the walk was fantastic, along cliff edged beaches. It was 10kms to the first of the gannets on the beach and I was wishing Rob was with me - the birds were so close on the rocks and had huge fluffy chicks with them, which looked so comical - Rob would have loved it. ... read more

Taupo -> Napier

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier February 9th 2009

Taking a break

John Elsen

9th Feb 2009 Set off from Taupo around 9.30 heading for Napier. The scenery becomes more hilly and the vegetation lush. We stop to stretch half way at the ruatiti bridge over the waipung river. The journey is up and down steep inclines and the toyota is coping well, for an old car it is very comfortable and runs quietly. As we enter Napier we see our first Hawkes Bay vineyard. We arrive at the motel around 1.30pm it is the nicest so far, very comfortable and spacious, overlooking Hawkes Bay. There is some eclipic art on the beach by an artist called David Trubridge. It is a blue tubular arch with a silver disc at the top, below it is a rock with an inscription that the line from the rock to the disc describes ... read more

Various photos from New Zealand...

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier February 7th 2009

The Botanical Gardens - Christchurch

BeckyandBecki

I know - it's about time.... read more

2009

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier January 1st 2009

Helenandmike

Jan 1st Beautiful day- so we walked up Bluff's Hill where you get great views of the bay. Played mini-golf - I lost as usual!I went for a jog and Mike went for a swim- not a crazy whirl of a day but a nice start to the year. Jan 2nd Hired bikes and cycled along the front for about 3 hours- very hot day. We were glad of the pool at the motel when we got back. Jan 3rd Went to the lap pool in the morning for a swim, then caught bus to Wellington- long journey (6hrs). Had dinner and a much needed beer at a brewery pub by the waterfront. First impressions of Wellington were good. Very quiet - lots of space. Jan 4th Went on the cable car to the botanical gardens- ... read more

December 23rd

Oceania » New Zealand » North Island » Napier December 25th 2008

I walked up and down Hastings Street...

rcorbeil

Napier, New Zealand, North Island - December 23rd - 1:48pm I got to sleep in a little today as we didn’t get to Napier until 11am. Lee had to go to work and do his talk so I had no trouble sleeping. I soon got woken up to him coming in to change, he was pretty jealous that I was still curled up in bed. We decided last night that I was going to head into town on my own for a bit or else I wouldn’t get to see the town of Napier, as we had an excursion booked. Napier is a very cute town, lots of artsy buildings and sculptures everywhere. I just walked around, people watched as I drank my cappuccino. We didn’t really need anything just a few bags for Christmas presents. ... read more

Me with the view from the first winery behind me

Brief history of New Zealand

The Polynesian Maori reached New Zealand in about A.D. 800. In 1840, their chieftains entered into a compact with Britain, the Treaty of Waitangi, in which they ceded sovereignty to Queen Victoria while retaining territorial rights. In that same year...more history

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