Napier - Art Deco City

In 1931 Napier was flattened by an earthquake, killing 258 people. When the town rebuilt (to stricter building codes), the obvious style to use was 1930s concrete and Art Deco style: it shone with confidence and new opportunity, and was fashionable, cheap and relatively safe.

As a result, Napier has a fantastic collection of buildings from the period, ranking second only to South Beach in Florida as an Art Deco city. They run a great programme of events to celebrate it all – look at the Art Deco Napier website for more.