Napier & Hawke’s Bay
Sunny Hawke's Bay pairs 1930s style with some of the country's finest wine. Rebuilt in unified Art Deco after the 1931 earthquake, Napier is a stylish seaside city of pastel facades and palm-lined Marine Parade — and its hinterland is a warm, gravelly wine country famed for Syrah and Chardonnay. Add gannet colonies and farm-to-table food, and it's a relaxed, elegant stop. Here's how to enjoy it.
Art Deco Napier
After the 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake levelled the town, Napier was rebuilt almost entirely in the Art Deco style of the day — and kept it, creating one of the world's best-preserved Art Deco townscapes. Stroll the streets and Marine Parade, take a guided Deco walk, and if you can, come for the February Art Deco Festival of vintage cars and 1930s dress. See our things to do guide.
Hawke’s Bay wine & food
Warm and sunny, Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's great wine regions — celebrated for Syrah, Bordeaux-style reds and Chardonnay, with the gravelly Gimblett Gravels especially prized. Tour the cellar doors by car or bike, and dip into a farm-to-table scene of orchards, markets and long lunches. It's a region made for savouring. See our wine tasting page.
Cape Kidnappers & the coast
There's more than wine and Deco. Visit the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony — one of the world's largest mainland gannet colonies — cycle the flat coastal trails between Napier and Hastings, and enjoy the region's beaches and long sunny days. It's an easy, elegant addition to a North Island loop. See our food & wine tours.
Napier & Hawke’s Bay: your questions
Napier was rebuilt in the fashionable Art Deco style after a devastating 1931 earthquake levelled the town, and it kept that unified 1930s look — making it one of the world's finest concentrations of Art Deco architecture. Stroll the streets and Marine Parade, take a guided walk, and visit during the February Art Deco Festival for vintage cars and 1930s dress. See our things to do guide.
Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's premier wine regions, celebrated for Syrah, Bordeaux-style reds and Chardonnay — the gravelly Gimblett Gravels district is especially prized. Sunny and warm, it's also a farm-to-table food region of orchards and markets. Cellar-door tastings and food trails abound. See our wine tasting page.
Plenty — walk or cycle the flat coastal trails, visit the Cape Kidnappers gannet colony (one of the world's largest mainland colonies), explore the twin cities of Napier and Hastings, and enjoy the region's farmers' markets and orchards. Its sunny climate makes it a relaxed, appealing stop. See our food & wine tours.
The main Art Deco Festival is held in February each year, filling Napier with vintage cars, 1930s fashion, music and events — it's hugely popular, so book accommodation well ahead. There's also a smaller winter celebration. Dates shift year to year, so check the current calendar. See our best time to visit guide.
Napier is on the North Island's east coast, roughly 2.5 hours from Taupō and about 4 hours from both Wellington and Auckland by road, with its own domestic airport. It fits neatly into a North Island loop between the central plateau and the capital. See our getting around guide.