An Art Deco Walking Tour in Napier

While there’s plenty to explore around Napier and the region, the very best sights can be found just walking around the streets of the city. After a 7.8 magnitude earthquake that set off fires that destroyed a large part of the city in 1931, many buildings in Napier were rebuilt in the Art Deco style of the time. To this day, these unique buildings still stand around the city of Napier and provide excellent attractions to awe at on a walking tour of the city. So, park your Thrifty rental car at the promenade, stretch those legs, and let’s get walking! 

Begin Your Tour at Marine Parade 

There’s no better place to start this thrilling walking tour than with sensational views of the sweeping ocean stretching out before you. Head down to Marine Parade and park your rental car to get going on this ultimate adventure. First up, the famous Soundshell Stage and Forecourt. This spectacular structure is not only the perfect place to begin your walking tour because of its proximity to the ocean and the outlook it provides of the endless turquoise cascading into the horizon, but the Soundshell is also a great example of how the city of Napier came back bigger, stronger and brighter after the earthquake of 1931. The Soundshell is a beautiful design of soft pinks and oranges that provides a stage and dancing space, reflecting Napier’s desire for entertainment and fun after such torturous times. The first one of its kind to be built in the country, it’s truly a sight to be seen! 

Journey to the Napier Municipal Theatre 

Only a five-minute walk from the Soundshell down Tennyson Street into the heart of the city, your next stop on this exciting walking tour is the Napier Municipal Theatre. While the current version of the theatre dons Art Deco stylisations, the theatre was actually first built in early 1912 in the Italian renaissance style. After the 1931 earthquake, the Napier Municipal Theatre was rebuilt and reopened its doors in 1938. You won’t be able to see all the details of the inside of the theatre unless you attend a show, however the exterior of the building is just as lavish and quirky with a pale lemon yellow adorning the outside of the building’s walls. Great lengths have been taken over time to preserve this stunning theatre and its Art Deco style with grand geometric motifs, and it makes for a great feat of architecture to just wander by and observe. 

Marvel at the Daily Telegraph Building 

Just a couple of minutes’ walk down the road from the theatre, you’ll stumble across the iconic Daily Telegraph building at 49 Tennyson Street. One of the most noteworthy Art Deco buildings in the city, this gorgeous design has been completed with large columns on the exterior, topped with beautiful lotus flowers. A historic place not just for its lavish design, but also for the history of significant work that has happened within the walls of this newspaper building, the Daily Telegraph building represents over one hundred years of newspaper publishing from just one location. Looking at this heritage building is like stepping back in time to when print media reigned supreme. Its beauty is one to behold, so make sure you don’t forget to bring your camera! 

Finish Your Tour at the Stunning Masonic Hotel 

For your final stop on this sensational Art Deco walking tour around the city of Napier, head down the road just another block and you’ll be greeted by the incredible Masonic Hotel. Vintage charm is all around you at this mecca of Art Deco design, with the boutique hotel extending the stylistic flair with furnishings and interior design to complete the historic style of the building’s exterior. If you’re not staying in accommodation here, not to worry—you can soak up the Art Deco style in their Rose Irish Pub, or just marvel in awe at the design of the building from the outside. 

From the Soundshell stage on Napier’s promenade to the glitzy stage of Napier Municipal Theatre, from a newspaper building to a swanky hotel, Napier is a city that is perfect to explore its Art Deco style architecture on foot. Just Park your Thrifty rental car in the heart of the city and watch as a Napier of time’s past opens up in front of you.