Backtracking a little bit today, a few weekends ago, on a gorgeous summer day, Hannah and I went with my parents and Zoe to Napier to check out the Art Deco weekend happenings.
On the 3rd February 1931 most of Napier was leveled by a 7.8 earthquake and subsequent fires, 261 people died and thousands were injured. Napier was entirely rebuilt in the years following in the architectural style of the times - Spanish Mission, stripped classical and Art Deco.
Now every February Napier celebrates it's annual festival with over 200 events bringing 1000's of people into the area from all over New Zealand, and visitors from overseas as well. There's outdoor concerts, vintage car parades, Great Gatsby picnics, steam train excursions, fashion parades and so much more. Locals and visitors dress in 1920s and 1930s fashion.
One of the events we got to see was the Veroncia Bell Parade. The Royal New Zealand Navy played a significant role in the aftermath of the 1931 earthquake. HMS Veronica had berthed in Napier's harbour that morning and immediately began assisting the people of Napier. The bell from HMS Veronica was presented to the city as a momento and is now housed in the Hawkes Bay Museum. The bell is rung each New Year and again at the conclusion of Art Deco weekend to commemorate those who suffered and died in the earthquake.
The last event we enjoyed was a vintage plane fly over, what an awesome display in the sky over the Marine Parade.
This was our first time attending this amazing festival but certainly won't be our last. You can find out more about Napier Art Deco here.
See you soon x
2 comments:
It looks like you had a great time. I do like that parasol idea. A lot of ladies in Asia use umbrellas for shade in the summer, but it's never really been popular here. Maybe I should start a trend!
That beautiful blue sky sets your photos off perfectly. Would love to visit Napier properly one day.
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