Deco

And on to Napier on the east coast of the North Island at Hawke’s Bay (for any of you wine buffs). The journey there was of course eventfully off-map due, well, basically to a guy we had a drink with in the pub who told us about this gorgeous (yup!) riverside drive. It was beautiful and it had a gorge. We got to our apartment in a suburb of Napier called Ahuriri to discover it was Waitangi Day, a public holiday and every second place was closed. So we went to one of the first places and had a late lunch at a lovely little restaurant called Milk and Honey. We were so exhausted by the long drive that dinner consisted of crisps and a Kit Kat (and some wine, of course).

The next day it was up early and off to Napier on the bus.

A quick bit of relevant background. On the 3rd February 1931 an earthquake of magnitude 7.9 hit Hawkes Bay and literally, and I mean literally flattened Napier. The resulting fires completed the job and in all 256 people died. But the people of Napier were nothing if not resilient and rebuilt their town. The result is an Art Deco masterpiece, but still a living town. Sure, the shop fronts have changed but if you raise your eyes it is a veritable feast of 1930s architectural splendour. Just stunning.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Their pride and joy must be the Daily Telegraph building and the refurbished interiors, they tell us, match the exterior.

Sure, everybody is a bit “Art Decoed” up with vintage cars doing tours lead by young sixty-year-olds dressed up in 30s gear and we just managed to miss their annual Arts Deco Festival (phew) but it is all great fun and super friendly. Worth a visit.

Oh, and you can just spot our lunch venue to the left of the Telegraph building, Mister D’s. Wow, so good, kind of Spanish with a Kiwi twist.

• 

• 

• 

The doughnuts with the syringe full of the sauce of your choice (mine was chocolate, Wendy had a brandy sauce) were divine. As was the local dessert wine. Ah, local wine, there’s a coincidence …

•