Napier: Time travel in Hawkes Bay

From all over the world, devotees of the sweeping lines of art deco flock to Napier just to see its architecture. Photo / Duncan Brown

It feels a bit like stepping on to a Great Gatsby-esque movie set when you first wander into downtown Napier. With pastel-coloured concrete buildings direct from the 1930s everywhere you turn in the self-christened Art Deco Capital of the World, it's about the closest you'll get to time travel in New Zealand.

We've arrived after a picturesque five-hour drive from Auckland, and as soon as we step into the town centre we're doing a Napier version of the slow, stop-start tourist walk, wandering the streets at snail's pace, looking up the whole time, and coming to abrupt standstills to point out the best buildings.

Luckily, we've signed up for an Art Deco Trust Guided Walk, so we join a group of people keen to do that very same thing on Saturday morning. We take to the streets starting with a quick history lesson from our guide, Geoff Bibby, on the earthquake that transformed this entire region.

Although the basics of the 1931 violent earthquake that devastated much of Hawke's Bay are known to most New Zealanders, it is an eerie feeling to stand in the city and imagine the chaos that must have ensued.

Two and a half minutes of violent shaking left much of the town in tatters and, immediately after it, fire broke out, destroying many of the buildings that had survived. One hundred and sixty one people died in Napier, a total of 256 in the district, and newspapers at the time reported the town had been wiped off the map. However, the township of Napier was not about to give up, and rebuilding started soon after the debris had been cleared.

Photo / Warren Buckland

Geoff points out quirks of the city that were a direct result of the quake: road names are inlaid in concrete slabs on corners because of fears of street signs toppling. One rebuilt street has a strange kink in it -- designed to accommodate one of the few buildings that had not been destroyed.

The street views of the city are impressive, with the popular pastel colours of the art deco era retained by most owners (they get a discount on the paint, Geoff explains, to help preserve the historical value of the city) but the real jaw-dropping moment for me is when we enter the foyer of Napier Municipal Theatre.

The stunning building is one of the world's only working art deco theatres, and boasts bizarre, yet totally endearing, 1930s'-style neon lights in its foyer that must have been the height of technology and fashion when it opened in 1938. Inside, the theatre is an architectural master-class in art deco, even for those who know next to nothing about the style.

Photo / Duncan Brown

It's a brisk hour-long walk to get around the city centre, but Geoff knows the best gems to point out along the way, and has secret spots you'd never find on your own.

At the end of the tour we take time for a cup of tea and to watch a short movie recapping the earthquake and the rebuild , which is well worth it for the incredible historical footage of the city before and after the tragic events of 1931.

After the tour, we try to leave the Art Deco Trust Shop without a house-load of goods (which is easier said than done), and find ourselves visiting a few more of the curio and collectible stores scattered around the city.

If it's retro trinkets you're after, Napier is definitely the place to find them.

It's a sobering day in some respects, we come away from the tour and our time in this vibrant city feeling like we know much more about Napier.

It doesn't just look like a movie set. It has a tale of triumph over adversity that would be worthy of a Hollywood script any day.

Need to know

Napier is a five-hour drive from Auckland. The Art Deco Trust runs around 1200 guided walks in the city each year. Find out more and book at artdeconapier.com.

The Tremains Art Deco Weekend is February 18-22.From all over the world, devotees of the sweeping lines of art deco flock to Napier just to see its architecture. Only Miami in the United States can be said to display the style on its streets with as much enthusiasm.

Need to know

Napier and its surrounds are well-known for impeccable food and wine, but if you want to combine an eating experience with a little more history and architectural eye-candy, a visit to Ahuriri is a must. Five minutes from the centre of Napier's business district, you can feast your eyes upon tiny fishing cottages, picturesque industrial warehouses (Aroha and Friends is a must-shop), and the stunning Art Deco Rothmans building. Feast your stomach at top eateries. We had brunch at Milk & Honey, but also try FG Smith, Mahia Street Kitchen (beside Vetro, a great market) and tiny, hip cafe Crazy Good.