Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Makeover returns sparkling colour to Napier's Art Deco Tom Parker fountain

By Roger Moroney
Reporter·Hawkes Bay Today·
2 Sep, 2019 01:54 AM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

The fine new flowing and glowing face of the Tom Parker Fountain in Napier. Photo / Bari Duncan

The fine new flowing and glowing face of the Tom Parker Fountain in Napier. Photo / Bari Duncan

One of Napier's Art Deco landmarks which has been making a splash since being unveiled in 1936 has received a fine late-winter makeover which has had locals and visitors alike expressing their delight.

The Tom Parker Fountain had become slightly weary in appearance so the Napier City Council called in a makeover team made up of a painting and specialist coatings crew from Eric Wiig and lighting and electrical specialists from Pro Electrical.

Parks, Reserves and Sportsgrounds team leader Debra Stewart said the fountain had in the past been drained, cleaned and painted, but over time it was too prone to wearing away.

The Tom Parker Fountain on Napier's Marine Parade before the startling recent revamp.  Photo / Napier City Council
The Tom Parker Fountain on Napier's Marine Parade before the startling recent revamp. Photo / Napier City Council

So it was decided to recoat the fountain with a strong and specialised coating used in swimming pools.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We are hoping the new product will keep it looking sharp for much longer," Stewart said.

With the pond emptied and temporary surrounding walls put up for the month-long revamp, the council also took the opportunity to fix and fortify the electrical system at the same time, replacing bulbs and fixing the water-spout systems.

Stewart said the cold weather during the job did slow things down a little as the paints needed extra time to cure, but said the council had not wanted to carry out the work in summer when the holiday season bloomed with visitors.

The colourful lights which illuminate the jets of water are now more vibrant and startling during the evening hours.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

And during the day the fresh new look has drawn a stream of pedestrian admirers, many taking photos as visitors have long done.

The fountain was officially opened on the night before Christmas Eve in 1936, and after battling through the recession years locals were delighted to have some colourful sparkle back in their lives.

Discover more

Mediation over pool complex off table, says opponents to new site

02 Sep 03:39 AM
New Zealand

Fight breaks out at controversial cell tower site in Havelock North

02 Sep 03:49 AM
New Zealand

Tummy bug hits nearly 100 kids at one school

02 Sep 11:10 PM

The fountain's donor was the owner of a men's outfitters shop in Hastings St, Tom Parker.

He was known for his gifting to worthy causes and to the city he loved, and during one of his regular visits to Britain he was impressed by a modern illuminated fountain in Bournemouth.

So upon his return he donated £1000 for a similar fountain, which was designed by Napier architect J.T. Watson and built on Marine Parade on an area previously occupied by a children's playground.

The fountain was powered by a General Electric Company Novalux 15 Projector electric motor imported from the United States, and when it's running the fountain's kaleidoscopic changes of coloured lights are synchronised with the sequences of the water jets.

Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Two seriously injured, roads blocked in series of Hawke’s Bay crashes

Hawkes Bay Today

'We have you surrounded': Hawke's Bay house stand-off ends, police searching streets

Hawkes Bay Today

Fashion series supports businesses with multiple winter events


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Two seriously injured, roads blocked in series of Hawke’s Bay crashes
Hawkes Bay Today

Two seriously injured, roads blocked in series of Hawke’s Bay crashes

A person has been taken to hospital and a highway is closed after three crashes.

17 Jul 02:00 AM
'We have you surrounded': Hawke's Bay house stand-off ends, police searching streets
Hawkes Bay Today

'We have you surrounded': Hawke's Bay house stand-off ends, police searching streets

17 Jul 12:15 AM
Fashion series supports businesses with multiple winter events
Hawkes Bay Today

Fashion series supports businesses with multiple winter events

17 Jul 12:00 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP