history Archives | Amiekay's Adventure

A view of Napier’s Marine Parade, complete with a classic car. Marine Parade runs along Napier’s waterfront, which is made up of a pebble beach

Napier, New Zealand calls itself the “Art Deco Capital” of the world. It’s a title that the South Florida-girl in me takes immediate issue with; I mean, doesn’t that title rightfully belong to Miami Beach? After all, Miami Beach is bigger, brighter and well, just more recognizable than Napier. However, after I visited this small, beach-front city, I can now say it has a decent, if not somewhat convincing argument. First, a little history: Unlike Miami Beach, Napier was actually mostly built-up prior to the Art Deco style’s hey-day in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The only reason it has this style of architecture is that the city was razed following the deadly 1931 Hawkes Bay earthquake and had to be rebuilt. This means Napier’s construction of art deco was built for an already existing community and, therefore, has a bit of a different feel to it than its United States counterpart, which admittingly, was mainly driven by consumerism and developers hoping to make a buck from wealthy tourists.

A view of Miami Beach’s more tropical art deco style. (Photo courtesy Alex Bellink of A New Day A New Place)

Unlike Napier, a lot of Miami Beach’s art deco buildings are owned by wealthy corporations. (Photo courtesy Alex Bellink of A New Day A New Place)

I think it is this community-driven development that makes Napier feel almost like its stranded in time. Not only does the architecture take you back to what many refer to as a “simpler” time, so does the city itself. Napier’s downtown is lined with both attractions for tourists, as well as the necessities local need for their daily lives. Unlike the streets of Miami Beach, which are lined predominantly with hotels clubs, restaurants, and car parks, Napier has a mix of cute boutiques, locally-owned cafes, grocery stores and pedestrian-only roads. Its a walkable, locally-driven economy, fueled by a rather tiny population (There are less than 70,000 people living in Napier.)

A couple strolls Napier’s Viewing Platform

It’s a set-up that’s by all accounts impossible to replicate in a major, global city like Miami. For starters, Miami Beach has 23,000 more people living in it and attracts even more by way of tourists. Furthermore, this U.S. city is just too expensive for any mom-and-pop shop to really thrive there the way they can in Napier.

A look down Napier’s walkable street during sunset. The flower pot sculpture in the center of the photo changes with the seasons. I visited the city in spring.

This money-driven culture that fuels Miami Beach is something Napier and really New Zealand (apart from maybe Auckland) just can’t compete with – most of the time. There are no massive clubs or luxurious spas for you to enjoy in Napier, but there are world-class restaurants. In fact, its Napier and not Auckland that currently houses the country’s “restaurant of the year,” Pacifica. I have not had the pleasure of tasting Pacifica’s dishes, but after a quick look at their prices and reviews, I can only assume they are fantastic: their prices rival those of restaurants in Miami Beach, the playground of the rich and the famous. But the thing is because it’s not Miami Beach, the restaurants in Napier aren’t paying exorbitant rent to be there, and that means: good food doesn’t have to be expensive. Case in point: tasty restaurants like Honger Monger and Mister D’s regularly make “must try” lists for the country and are more than satisfying. And both aren’t going to bust your budget. Talk about old-fashioned entertainment!

Mister D’s is known for its donuts, which you can get at any time of the day. You can fancy them up with a syringe of glaze, some of which come in alcoholic flavors

Speaking of old-fashioned entertainment, Napier also makes it easy to be home by curfew: except for the Rose Irish Pub which stays open to a late 12:30 am, the city mostly shuts down at 10 pm. There are no modern-day clubs or bar fights to tear you away from your return to the art deco era.

Napier has less art deco buildings than Miami Beach, and it’s certainly less of an overall tourist attraction. But what it lacks in population, nightlife, and frankly beaches, Napier makes up for with atmosphere. This place, like much of New Zealand, feels like a step back in time. So while this Florida-girl isn’t ready to say Napier is “The” Art Deco Capital of the World, it can certainly be one of them. (Or even, The Art Deco Capital of the Pacific.)

Napier, like Miami Beach, has palm trees. So that means I love it

One of the things I’ve been most looking forward to doing since moving to Wellington was riding the Cable Car. I don’t know why, but I find something enchanting about old school transportation. I went today and really enjoyed the experience!

A little background on the cable car: It has been running for over 100 years and is the only railway like it in New Zealand. The ride is just 5 minutes long and takes you from the busy streets of Lambton Quay to the quiet suburb of Kelburn. At the top, there are a few fun things to do including the Cable Car Museum, Botanic Gardens, Zealandia Wildlife Sanctuary, and Space Place. There is no fee for the museum or the botanic gardens.

It was a bit chilly and windy when I went so I spent much of my time checking out the views and visiting the museum, but I have plans to take the trip again this weekend.

One of the more obvious views. However, this site alone is worth your ticket up in my opinion

When you get to the top of the mountain, make sure you take a walk around, or you’ll be missing quite a few unique views of the harbor and downtown. The obvious spots to take pictures are right by where the Cable Car lets you off, but if you walk just 5 minutes towards “Space Place,” there is another look out that isn’t too be missed. There is also a nice trail that way that takes you through the mountains, should you want to skip the botanical gardens.

The museum is small but manages to include what seemed like a day’s worth of reading on its walls. I would say the main attractions for me were the two older cars that used to run the tracks. The “Red Rattler” from the 1950s even had seats on the outside, which I found especially interesting; in addition to the obvious dangers of being on the outside, I also think it would be quite cold, given Wellington’s famous winds.

The “Red Rattler” car was used on the line between the 1950s and 1970s

The other car, from the early 1900’s was plain gorgeous. While it’s missing the now-iconic red hue, the victorian design and colors are quite charming.

“Grip Car No. 3” carried passengers in the early 1900s

Something else I should note about the museum is its situated inside the original “winding house” for the cable car. In fact, you can still see the original winding mechanism that pulled the cars up and down the mountainside!

One of the original gears used to pull cars up the mountainside

The only other exhibit inside the museum (I told you it was small) features model trains, which always make me think of Sheldon Cooper from the “Big Bang Theory.” They were fun to look at and take pictures of, and one of the buildings kind of looks like Hogwarts, so I would recommend checking them out.

The Cable Car Museum model train exhibit was fun and sure to be a highlight for any kid

Finally, the most surprising part of today’s adventure was the light shows hidden inside the tunnels along the mountain. I didn’t expect to see these installations on a historic railway but really did enjoy them. And make sure you don’t just look at them going through; the patterns are not to be missed…so sit near the front or rear of the car so you can watch them dance.