#3 Napier – Art Deco Brings Life
It was a bright, sunny, and hot day in Napier, February
3, 1931. A 7.8 magnitude earthquake
struck, catching everyone by surprise.
Building collapsed, water mains burst, fires started, which because of
the water main bursting, could not be put out.
The city was in ruins, hundreds lost their lives.
As one poet put it, “even the walls of the
destroyed buildings held their hands up in surprise”. The determined people decided that when they
rebuilt, it would be in Art Deco Style.
And so they did.
In the morning Patsy and I took a small tour of wine
tasting (yummm),
sightseeing spots,
and Art Deco tour and history about the earthquake. Our guide was a lovely lady whose grandfather
survived the quake.
We ended our evening returning to the Mission Winery for a most delightful, delicious dinner overlooking vineyards.
Tomorrow we travel to Wellington to board our Interisland
Ferry across the strait to Picton and Nelson.
Wow! Rita
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