The County Hotel Napier

Napier Pier 2

by Kate-Me

Here are some of the boats docked in Napier's marina area. The marquees and giant alcohol bottle in the distance are part of their Waitangi Day celebrations.
Wouldn't the cork go off like a rocket!!!

What a View !

by joanj

When I stayed with friends in Napier, they took me up here for the fantastic views. You can see for miles and miles in all directions.

To get to Te Mata Peak drive from Hastings to Havelock North where you will then see the long ridge of limestone bluffs which make up the 399m Te Mata Peak. The long and winding road ( echo's of a song coming on here !!) climbs up the hill to the vantage point at the top where you can see across the fertile plains north across to Hawke's Bay and Cape Kidnappers, and east to Ocean Beach and Waimarama the main swimming beaches for Hastings and Havelock North.

When we were there, a number of tandem paragliders were leaping off the Peak.
contact:-
Peak Paragliding tel: 06/843 4717 & 025/512 886 prices from $NZ120

My friends son mountain bikes down here, (he is a mature young man)

Lovely walk along the sea

by vtveen

Make a pleasant walk along the Marine Parade, a promenade along Hawkes Bay. With lots of flowering gardens, fountains and sculptures. The Sound Shell, another art deco building, is situated close to the Visitor Information Centre and is an open air stage.
In the evening the Norfolk Pines along Marine Parade are decorated with hundreds of coloured lights.

Although the sea is very inviting on hot summer days; be aware it is NOT suitable to swim.

CLIVE SQUARE

by balhannah

The lovely Clive Square we came across by accident. It was hard to believe, that years ago, cricket and football matches were played here.

In 1886, the square was enclosed with white picket fencing and gates at the corner entrances. Most of the enclosed area was in lawn, with trees and shrubs planted around the perimeter. The Clive Square side boasted a large centred circle, and seating around the outside of this faced inwards to a central band rotunda. The square now has a good selection of large cycads, Palms, nice gardens, lamp posts and seating.
There are toilets nearby.

Life on a gravel bed

by iandsmith

"All shook up"

When a massive earthquake levelled the New Zealand coastal city of Napier in 1931, it killed 162 people and caused major devastation.
What options did the citizens have? Apart from quitting, the only choice was to rebuild.
That essential task, completed over the following two years, inadvertently gave New Zealand one of the world's best collections of art deco architecture — and the city's visitors are still enthralled.