Our stay in Napier was one of our favorites so far! The sun came out full force and made our four days here even better. Because the city was destroyed in a 1931 earthquake, the entire city was rebuilt with architecture from the Art Deco period. That makes Napier the most complete Art Deco city in the world! Plentiful pathways along the glittering blue beach really added to the ‘Florida’ feel of the city.
Our host Maranu lives just a few minutes outside the city on Bluff Hill. The lookout at the top gave us some gorgeous views of Hawke Bay and we managed to catch the sunset as well.
During our stay we did some pruning and weeding, clearing out all the crevices from the stone wall in front of the house.
Because the weather was so ridiculously nice, Maranu let us borrow her bikes and head out on the pathways by the beach. We wandered through the city centre and the Art Deco Store, taking in all the architecture, then had a picnic lunch at the Sound Shell by the beach.
In all, we cycled about 20 kilometers that day and came home with sore rear ends! We couldn’t complain though–a wood burning fire and a big, fluffy bed were waiting for us after a delicious dinner with such a gracious host. Maranu has traveled all over the world, so we enjoyed hearing about her experiences on Easter Island and in Africa.
Check out more pictures of our stay in Napier on Facebook!
