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.